First I Giveth
by Marik Kurakashi
Summary: Divergence RN Pairing Warning This story diverges from the main canon line after Shampoo leaves the first time. I will eventually explain everything that happens in this fic, so be patient. Chapter 21 casts necro on fic. Hurray.
1. Kisses in the Dark

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Communications. I make nothing off of this, so please don't sue me.  
  
Author notes: This story is A/U, diverging from the main timeline shortly after Shampoo leaves the first time. That is all I'll tell you for now, you'll have to read if you want to know more.  
  
First I Giveth  
  
by Marik Kurakashi  
  
Chapter 1: Kisses in the Dark   
  
Everything had returned to a semi-normal state following the departure of the Amazon Shampoo. Ranma and his father sparred, with the usual splashdown before breakfast, followed by a bath to switch back, then a wild brawl over their allotted food. But today was different, as Ranma wasn't trying to stop his father from stealing his food. In fact, he barely registered there was food in front of him, and just sat in deep contemplation.  
  
After easily stealing the third piece of chicken from Ranma without a fight, Genma was getting worried. After inhaling the said piece, Genma said, "What is the matter boy? Aren't you going to defend your plate?" He stared at his son, confusion wrought on his features.  
  
Ranma said, "I'm not really hungry this morning." He turned a confused glance around the table as everyone else huddled together and began whispering amongst themselves.   
  
Akane was the first to voice her concern. "This isn't like Ranma, he usually inhales enough food to feed at least three or four people," she said, trying her hardest to conceal her worry.  
  
Soun predictably broke down into tears. "WAAAAAAHHH!! Aliens have kidnapped my daughter's fiancée. Now the schools will never be joined," he wailed, causing anyone close to him to move away to avoid getting soaked by his tears.  
  
Nabiki scoffed and said, "Aliens? Get real, Daddy." She rolled her eyes for emphasis on her opinion of the Tendo patriarch's outburst.  
  
Kasumi frowned and said, "I hope he hasn't come down with something." She went over to Ranma and placed her hand on his forehead to see if he was running a fever.  
  
Ranma fidgeted a bit and said, "I'm fine Kasumi." He got up and continued, "I think I'll head to school early today." With that, he left the dining room, grabbed his satchel and headed out the front door.   
  
Nabiki, realizing that she'd have to hurry to get to school in time to run her usual operations, she shoveled the last of her rice into her mouth, then washed it down with the last of her tea. After wiping her mouth with a napkin, she got up and said, "Good job on breakfast this morning, Oneechan." She hurried out, grabbed her satchel, and rushed to Furinkan.  
  
Akane stared after her sister, her mind whirring at all the implications of this morning. First, Ranma isn't hungry and heads off to school early. Second, Nabiki hurries up and finishes her breakfast and races after him. She growled in annoyance, one thought alone flashed to the forefront:  
  
'That pervert better not be doing anything with my sister!'  
  
Meanwhile, Nabiki had arrived at Furinkan before Ranma, thanks in large part to the old lady with the ladle splashing Ranma for the umpteenth time. She rushed by as Ranma went to Dr. Tofu's to get some hot water and easily made it there before Ranma arrived. She walked past Kuno, giving her usual Kuno-baby greeting to see him grind his teeth and launch into a fifteen minute speech about how much he hates her calling him that, of which she stuck around for the first couple words before she headed to her usual seat on the balcony.  
  
After her usual meeting with her associates, Nabiki watched for the solitary approach of Ranma, who looked like he had a lot more on his mind then usual. The student body was abuzz at the sight of Ranma without Akane, a noise that brought an evil grin to Nabiki's face, as she knew she would do good business today. Her associates simply shook their heads and went back to watching Ranma.  
  
Kuno had just wound down from his tirade against that vile mercenary when he noticed Ranma's approach. He looked about for a sight of his fierce tigress, but he could not see her. He roared in anger, causing Ranma to stop examining the sidewalks and look at him.   
  
Ranma narrowed his eyes at Kuno. "Just what the hell is your problem today," he snapped, in no mood for Kuno's antics.  
  
"Thou dare taketh that tone with me, o vile one? What hath thou done to the beautiful Akane, you scoundrel," Kuno roared in response, leveling his bokken towards Ranma.  
  
Ranma's face scrunched up in confusion. "What have I done? I aint done nothin' to Akane, I just left for school earlier than she did," he said, wondering why Kuno hadn't been comitted to a mental hospital yet.  
  
"Am I, the mighty Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, supposed to believe the words of one as vile and repulsive as thee? Enough of your incessant prattle, I shall smite thee," Kuno barked, rushing forward to strike Ranma down.  
  
Ranma casually caught the bokken in one hand, throwing Kuno off balance. With a simple flick of his wrist, he wrenched the bokken from Kuno's slackened grip and rammed the end back into its owner's voice box. In a rare display of wild anger, Ranma snapped the wooden sword in two and hurled the pieces away.  
  
Kuno grasped his injured throat and squeaked out, "How dare thee defile my sacred blade!" He rubbed his throat and glowered at Ranma.  
  
Ranma scoffed and turned a baleful glare on Kuno. "Now you listen to me, you arrogant bastard. I have been coming to Furinkan for little over a month now and all you've done is attack me, and hurled accusations at me. You think I wanted to be engaged to Akane in the first place? If you got a problem with this whole thing, take it up with Nabiki and Kasumi, who decided I would marry Akane and our fathers agreed with them," he growled at the poetry-spewing madman, before he walked by him and went into the school.  
  
The rest of the student body sat in shock of what they had just seen. Now, it may not be that much of a shock that Ranma defeated Kuno, but the fact that he bit Kuno's head off afterwards was just not like him. The hushed whisper turned into loud groans, as they began to count their yen, knowing that Nabiki would have the information they would require as usual.  
  
Nabiki silently thanked Ranma for this mood swing, as she would make a lot of yen today. She seemed to glow as she walked into school, resisting the urge to hum a merry tune. She headed to homeroom, contemplating how to thank Ranma for unwittingly increasing her profits.  
  
Akane arrived just in time to see Kuno rising from his crouch. He turned to her, then simply turned about and went into school. She stood there in shock, unable to comprehend that Kuno would resist the chance to hit on her with Ranma nowhere in sight. She blinked and decided to head to homeroom as well, one thought flashing through her mind:  
  
'What the hell did Ranma do?'  
  
Later that day, Ranma struggled to stay awake in class, so bored he couldn't even remember the subject being taught at the present time. As he dosed off, he contemplated his actions of the morning. He realized he had shaken things up more then he had in the past, but he felt he was justified in his ire this morning. As he inspected his eyelids for leaks, he thought back to what he said to Kuno. 'Did I really mean all that,' he pondered, not hearing the teacher yelling at him, 'or was I just saying that in anger?'  
  
His musings were shattered when the teacher walked over to his desk and yelled at the top of his lungs into his ear, "SAOTOME RANMA! WAKE UP RIGHT NOW AND GO STAND IN THE HALL, YOU WORTHLESS SLACKER!"  
  
Ranma jumped at the shout and looked about the room before his eyes focused on his teacher, who was pointing at the two buckets of water. He bowed his head and said, "Hai, sensei." He walked over and picked up the buckets and shuffled off into the hall, careful not to get any of the water on him.  
  
Once in the hall, Ranma sighed and began to let his thoughts wander to other subjects that were important. The most important thought on his mind was the strange dreams he had been having for the past week. He sighed, his mind filling up with the image of this shadow girl. She would come to a prostrate Ranma and run her hands over his face before she would kiss him passionately, holding it there before breaking off to stare into his eyes. He would then wake up in a cold sweat. It felt so real, real enough he could taste her long after the dream was over.  
  
He sighed again, trying to figure out the meaning of the dreams and their implications. He somehow knew it wasn't Akane, but he wasn't sure how he knew it. His thoughts drifted to a few nights ago, when he hadn't fallen into that deep a sleep and woke up to the sensation of being kissed, though it was too dark to see who was doing it. He decided not to sleep as deep as he usually did and would hope to have enough light to see who it was, but it had been unsuccessful so far.   
  
He heard the last bell for the day and took back in his buckets of water and grabbed his satchel and went outside to wait for both Akane and Nabiki to get done with their after school stuff and walk home with them. Akane gabbed with her friends for a while, while Nabiki finished her last transactions for the day. They both said their farewells and were shocked to find Ranma patiently waiting for them.  
  
"So, Saotome, I see you waited for us, you're full of surprises today," Nabiki quipped cheerfully, ignoring the stares she was getting from her walking companions.  
  
"Er, yeah, so, uh, how was your day," came his response, sounding uncomfortable around a happy Nabiki.   
  
"Just fine," she said, her cheery tone not diminishing in the least.  
  
"What has gotten into you oneechan," Akane asked, confused that Nabiki isn't acting like her usual frosty self.  
  
Nabiki grinned and fished into her satchel and produced a wad of yen. "Today has been one of the most profitable days I have ever had. Can you believe that there is nearly 200,000 yen in this bundle, imouto-chan," she said, before putting the yen back.  
  
Akane narrowed her eyes and asked coldly, "How many pictures did you have to sell?" She crossed her arms across her chest and tapped her toe in annoyance at her older sister.  
  
Nabiki laughed and said, "None."  
  
Akane and Ranma both blinked, looked at each other. "None? What do you mean by none?" the younger Tendo asked, not believing for a second that her sister didn't sell a single picture of her to anyone.  
  
Nabiki's grin deepened and she place a hand one her sister's shoulder and said, "What I mean, imouto-chan, is I sold no pictures of you because of the strange behavior of your fiancé. The masses of Furinkan were so obsessed with finding out what was going on that the guys didn't ask for a single picture. Not even Kuno asked for a picture of you and you know how hung up he is on you."  
  
Akane's jaw cratered and her eyes shrunk to tiny dots. She stood stone still, ignoring both her companions as she stared blankly ahead. Was it true? Had that baka Kuno finally given up on her? While it seemed too good to be true, she would grasp at what little hope she had for living a Kuno-free life.  
  
Ranma waved a hand in front of his fiancee's face, then said, "She's seems shocked about somethin'." He rubbed his chin and poked her cheek a few times before a hand grabbed his, at which he looked at the owner of the hand questioningly.  
  
Nabiki shook her head and said, "Leave her, she'll come to in a little bit. She won't take it too well if we show too much concern for her and she'll accuse us of calling her weak and she won't say a thing to either of us for the rest of the day." With that said, she went onward towards home, Ranma reluctantly following her.  
  
Ranma, not knowing what to talk to Nabiki about, said, "Sounds like you speak from personal experience on that subject." He managed to conceal his discomfort at Nabiki's more open personality.  
  
Nabiki smirked and said nonchalantly, "I guess I do."  
  
Ranma asked, "What happened?" He tried to conceal his curiosity, but failed miserably.  
  
Nabiki laughed and said, "Since you're so eager to know, I might as well tell you. It was about six years ago, when Akane was still training under Daddy. She was running around the block, but didn't see a stick in the middle of the sidewalk and tripped on it and fell on her face. Kasumi and I ran out to check on her and she got upset and went crying to Daddy, saying that we were making fun of her and calling her weak for being concerned for her health."  
  
Ranma chuckled and said, "And, if your dad was anything then like he is now, once she told him what had happened, he must've burst into tears and started to ask if she was alright."  
  
Nabiki laughed again and said, "You got it. Needless to say, she flipped out and locked herself in her room for the rest of the day," she paused and smiled at Ranma before she continued, "I'm amazed Ranma-kun, I wouldn't have thought you would have been able to figure that out."  
  
Ranma nervously fidgeted at that smile, though friendly in nature, and he laughed nervously before he stammered out, "E-er- um.. well, t-thanks." He fidgeted a bit more, wondering how long it would be until they reached home, as well as when it get so damn hot.  
  
Meanwhile, a couple blocks back, Akane had finally snapped out of her daze. She whipped her head from side to side, wondering where the other two had gone. She thought for a second and realized that she must blanked out and they went on without her. She rushed on, determined to catch them before they arrived home. She spotted them about 4 meters away and yelled, "Wait for me!" They heard her and stopped so she could catch up to them.  
  
Akane arrived and noticed that Ranma was acting nervous around Nabiki, not an unusual sight to be sure, but she wasn't saying a word and he was red as a beet. She looked closer and noticed neither one was paying any attention to her, Nabiki simply smiling at Ranma and him simply staring dumbly at her. She humphed and forced her way between them and took the lead home, with neither one saying a word to her. They silently followed her home, Nabiki staring at Ranma out of corner of her eye, and him simply trying not to look at her, his desire not to be sent flying to the other side of Nerima manifesting at the moment.  
  
Once they had arrived, Nabiki sought out her father and showed off her earnings for the day, Ranma and Akane each headed for the dojo. After her talk with her father, Nabiki went upstairs to do some homework and balance the books. Once in her room, she locked the door behind her and lay on her bed, an unusual feeling of giddiness sweeping through her body. She had actually spent several minutes alone with Ranma, smiled affectionately at him, and all he did was fidget and blush, not ask her what her angle was this time, or what she wanted from him.  
  
She rolled over and sighed, mentally chastising herself for acting like all the other lovesick girls at Furinkan. She also knew that she would have to pine for Ranma from afar, just like the rest of them. She sighed again and decided to take a nap before dinner, even if her dreams would be infused with nothing but Ranma.  
  
Meanwhile, in the dojo, Ranma and Akane sparred, which consisted of Akane swinging a bunch of times before Ranma poked her after she tired herself out. Huffing and puffing, Akane asked, "So what were you and Nabiki talking about earlier?" Her tone was sweet, too sweet.  
  
Ranma turned his back to her and nonchalantly said, "Nothin'." He placed his hands into his pockets and headed back to the house, when a growl from behind him caused him to stop and turn around.  
  
Akane was now standing upright with an angry sneer on her face. "What do you mean by nothin', Ranma," she asked, not even attempting to hide her anger.  
  
Ranma snorted and said sarcastically, "What, don't ya know what the word nothin' means, ya stupid tomboy?"   
  
Akane snapped, "I asked you a simple question, you stupid jerk. Kami, why must everything you say to me be an insult in some kind of way?"  
  
Ranma scoffed and said nothing, just simply turning about and heading into the house, his head shaking all the while. He ignored Akane's enraged shriek and was headed to his room when he stopped by his father. "I'm in no mood for ya right now Pop, so say what ya want then get outta my way," he said, not even bothering to look at him.  
  
Genma adjusted his glasses and said, "Akane brings up a good point, boy, why are you always insulting your fiancé?" His tone was calm yet forceful in an attempt to bully his son.  
  
Ranma rolled his eyes and said, "The same reason she calls me a pervert for her walking in on me in the bath. Is that all, ya windbag, or can I go?"  
  
Genma narrowed his eyes at his son and said, "I will only say this once, boy, don't take your fiancé for granted."  
  
Ranma rolled his eyes again and said, "Who is taking who for granted? I remember when Shampoo arrived about a week ago, because that was the day we had that stupid skate wrestling match, and do ya know what I told that asshole Sanzenin? I told him I would kill him if he kissed Akane. I was willing to go against one of my core principles and use the Art as a weapon instead of self-defense and what did she say to that? Not a damned thing that's what. I told a stadium full of people that I was willing to kill for her and she simply stands there like a statue and doesn't say a word. Then we got hurled at that wall by that "Good-bye whirl" thing of theirs and you want to know what I did? I threw myself into the wall to spare her any injury and what does she say to that? She calls me a fool, no thank you, no nothin'. Hell, I only agreed to fight against them because the damn pig was important to her and made her happy. You remember when we arrived at home right? Shampoo attacked her and I protected her, not caring if she gave me another kiss of death. And what thanks did I get for it? None, all I got was a mace ball bounced off my skull." He stopped his tirade there and glowered at his father, daring him to dispute what he said.  
  
Genma stared wide-eyed at him, before he said, "If you had been man enough to kiss her in the dojo before the match-"  
  
"Don't give me any of that crap, Pop," Ranma interrupted, "I didn't kiss her because it held no more meaning to me after what Sanzenin did. I was hoping to get up the courage and kiss Akane so we could share our mutual first kiss, but that bastard took that from me. And what did she say to that? She teased me about it, no comfort, no reassurance, just coldness," he paused, snorting derisively, before he continued, "I was torn up to no end when Shampoo erased me from her memory, and she'll never know how much it had hurt to see her confuse me with other things that sounded like my name. My wounds are too fresh to overlook, Pop, and she ain't helpin' by ripping the scabs away and rubbing salt into them. If she ain't going to forgive me my faults, then I'll never forgive her hers, and she'll never be anything more than that annoying, stupid, kawaiikune, sexless tomboy to me. Now get the hell outta my way before I remove you from it."  
  
Now, in any other clash between Genma's pride and his cowardice, his cowardice would almost always win out. But in this case, as it was his pupil/son challenging him, he remained stalwart and motioned for his son to try and remove him. Ranma obliged him and, after he had gotten a good look at the enraged look in his son's eyes, realized that he should have stepped aside. He was lambasted by several haymakers before he was piledriven into the floor by his gi.  
  
This whole exchange had been watched by two silent spectators, and the one who could still move voiced her opinion. "Oh, my, Uncle Saotome, are you alright, " Kasumi asked, rushing to the elder Saotome's side.  
  
After being propped up by Kasumi, Genma swayed back and forth, his head swimming as a side effect of ramming it at a high rate of speed into something solid. "I'll be fine... ooh... lookit at all the pretty pandas dancing about, " he said, before fainting again.  
  
Kasumi, not quite sure what she should do, layed Genma back down and said, "Hold on, I'll go get Daddy to help me carry you to your room, Uncle." She strode off to get her father, not noticing the other silent witness, whom was in dire need of some comfort right about now.  
  
Akane hugged her knees to her chest, torn between screaming in rage and wailing in anguish. She wasn't sure why she was so deeply hurt by Ranma's words. 'It couldn't be that I.... No, there is no way I could ever love a jerk like Ranma, ' she mentally raged, tears slowly creeping down her face. She buried her face in her knees and softly cried, one thought racing to the fore front of her mind:  
  
'Why does it hurt so much?'  
  
An hour later, dinner was a silent affair, as neither of the fathers were there, Genma was at Tofu's recieving medical attention and Soun was there to help his friend home. Kasumi had decided not to tell Ranma of her father's promise to give the boy a good chewing out, figuring that something had majorly ticked Ranma off to go that ballistic on his father. Akane wasn't there, professing that she had a stomach ache didn't want to eat anything out of fear of hurling it back up. As such, there was only Kasumi, Ranma and Nabiki at the table enjoying the meal. Occasionaly conversation would sprout up amongst the trio, though nothing significant was said.  
  
After dinner, they all went off to do something. Nabiki decided to watch some television before she did her homework. Ranma decided to get to work on his now, and Kasumi waited for her father to return with Uncle Genma to convince him not to yell at Ranma and drive him away. She would explain to him that cooler heads should prevail and that he was simply too old and mature to be yelling like a child. If none of that worked, then he would have to eat Akane's cooking if he did not back down on the first two points.  
  
Meanwhile, the Tendo patriarch was dragging the Saotome patriarch home from Dr. Tofu's, who had been ready to close up the clinic when he had seen them approach and helped Genma into said clinic. Soun knew that Genma was going to wake up with one hell of a headache, but he wasn't going to take Tofu's orders too well. "He should not spar with Ranma for the next couple of days to a week, maybe even two. Tendo-san, can you also tell him that I'll have to crank his hours up as my new nurse has disappeared and I am short on help right now," Tofu said, the last part sounded a bit guilty for cranking up the hours on a man who had just sustained major head trauma.  
  
Soun rolled his eyes as Genma babbled something under his breath. The past few blocks were annoying as Genma had went from dirty jokes to one-liners to cute sayings and was now babbling like an idiot, even drooling a bit. Soun sighed, silently wishing he could have made Ranma drag his father to the clinic, but he went with his eldest daughter's assessment that if he wanted Genma to make it there, he should take his friend himself. He sighed again as he arrived home.  
  
Kasumi rose from her seat and walked over to her father, giving him a look that brooked no arguments over what she was going to say. "Father, we need to talk, " she said, leading him to the couch to deposit Genma.  
  
Soun followed her, and after laying Genma on the couch, looked sternly at Kasumi and said, "Can it wait Kasumi? I really need to talk to Ranma right now." He moved to go past her, but found his way blocked by his eldest daughter.  
  
Kasumi simply said, "That's what I wanted to talk you about." She motioned to two chairs near each other and Soun went over and sat in one, while Kasumi occupied the other one.  
  
Soun sat pensively, wanting to be done with this and teach the boy the error of his ways. "Ranma has to be made aware of his mistake, Kasumi, and with Genma indisposed, that responsibility falls to me," was all he said in explanation of his reasons for wanting to verbally tear into Ranma's hide.   
  
Kasumi frowned and asked, "Father, do you think that's wise? I mean, if he is angry enough to strike Uncle Saotome, do you think it's wise to anger him some more? Is teaching him the error of his ways important enough to risk driving him away?"  
  
Soun fidgeted at the logic of his eldest daughter. He knew he could not refute the wisdom in her words, and as such he decided to change his stance. "Ok, Kasumi-chan, how would you approach this situation," he asked.  
  
Kasumi relaxed and gave a slight smile and said, "I would approach Ranma as though he were an adult, not a naughty little kid. Yelling will do more harm than good, so respectfully make your displeasure known to him and be mindful of what he has to say."  
  
Soun nodded and stood up from his seat and said, "If that is all, then I shall speak to Ranma."  
  
Kasumi smiled and said sweetly, "Father, " she paused and the smile vanished and was replaced with a ridiculous look that could only be described as being between Akane's angry glower and Nabiki's frosty glare and continued, "if you drive Ranma away, I think I'll let Akane help make your late dinner." She hated making fun of Akane's cooking, but desperate times called for desperate measures.  
  
Soun blanched and stuttered out, "H-ha-hai!" He went off to the guest room to talk to Ranma.  
  
Meanwhile, Ranma was racking his brain on his English homework, wishing that the class wasn't so boring so he could stay awake for the lessons. He yawned and stretched, and resumed trying to read through blurry eyes. So focused on this task, he almost missed the knock on the door. "Come in," he said sleepily, grateful for the distraction.  
  
Soun opened the door and entered into the room, trying his hardest to keep the scowl off his face. He gave Ranma an unreadable expression, taking in the boy's lax posture and undisturbed attitude. He felt his blood begin to boil at the sight, but he reigned his emotions and told himself to be civil.  
  
Ranma, meanwhile, was trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes and give the Tendo patriarch his undivided attention. He stifled a yawn and asked, "So, what's up, Tendo-san?"  
  
Soun bit back an angry retort and said, "Ranma, I saw what you did to your father, and I am upset about it. I would appreciate it if you would ease up on you father for the next few weeks in sparring, as he has a severe concussion and needs to avoid hard blows to his head."  
  
Ranma snapped awake when Soun said he was upset about him attacking his father, but relaxed as the shouting never came. He was nodding along at the tail-end and said, "No problem, Tendo-san, " he paused to rub the back of his head before he sheepishly continued, "I guess my frustrations at the events of the past month boiled over and I just lost it. I'll ease up on him and can you tell Kasumi to give him a bit more so I can avoid hitting him in the head at breakfast?"  
  
Soun nodded and said, "I will, son, " he paused for a second before he continued, "You know, you and I have not had the opportunity to speak man-to-man since your arrival. And since it appears that you will pass out from boredom during your homework, would you care to talk?"  
  
Ranma perked up at this and said, "Really?" Anything to escape the boredom of homework.  
  
Soun nodded and said, "I realize I haven't exactly treated you like a guest or a person since you arrived, so I figured I should start now."  
  
Ranma nodded his assent, setting aside his books and trying to keep an excited look off his face. He pondered why he was so excited, when it struck him that it was the chance to see Soun as a person, not a caricture. He often felt that the Tendos were a bit two dimensional, seeming more like drawings of real people then real people.  
  
Soun smiled a bit at Ranma's enthusiasm and took a seat on the floor. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought that maybe if he treated Ranma like a person, he might be more receptive to the engagement. He smiled a bit at that before he locked stares with Ranma, trying to figure out what the hell they had to talk about.  
  
They spent the next few hours talking about Ranma's schoolwork, plans for the future and such. The engagement never came up in any of this, and the only time voices were raised between the two was when they started arguing about which style had sillier stances. Noting the late hour, the two bid each other good night.  
  
For Soun, it was a sign of hope. If he could make Ranma feel at home, he realized that Ranma might cease his arguments to the marriage. He admitted to himself that he wouldn't want to marry into a family that made him uncomfortable. He would have to talk to Genma at length about their methods of getting their children married.  
  
For Ranma, it was breaking through the first barrier to engagement. He had no desire to have such a mercurial tempered person as an in-law, and with Soun showing a less temperamental side of himself, Ranma felt that maybe the engagement wasn't so bad. He sighed as decided not to think of it for now. He had to steal himself for the mystery girl's appearance this night and couldn't allow himself to be distracted.  
  
Later, a lone figure stood outside the door to Ranma's room. The figure, which cut an undeniably feminine form, slowly opened the door, afraid of waking the boy she was here to see. She slipped inside with an unnatural grace, one that anyone who knew her wouldn't be able to explain. She smiled to herself as she padded across the room towards her target, the object of her affection.  
  
She came to a stop over his sleeping form, her smile deepening as she watched him sleep. She knelt down, going through her ritual of running her hands over his face to gloss over the fact she couldn't see him in the darkness. She gently caressed his face, letting her fingers do her eyes' job for them.  
  
Ranma was in a relaxed state, something he learned to do from ten years on the road. He wanted to ask who she was, to grab her and demand to know why she's doing this, but he held himself in check. He wanted to know, but he didn't want her to know he was aware of her presence. He had to be patient, maybe a flash of light or something would give her away.  
  
The girl giggled lightly to herself as she thought of his reaction if she tried this while he was awake. Stifling the giggle, she ran her fingers over his lips. These lips that she would kiss, just as she had done for several weeks now. She told herself that she would eventually reveal herself to him, that one day she would kiss him out in the open. 'Someday,' she mentally sighed, 'I won't have to steal my kisses from him.' She leaned down and kissed him full on the lips, enjoying their feel once more.  
  
Ranma's eyes bulged open, as this kiss carried tongue with it, where all the others had been somewhat innocent. He fought the urge to embrace her, as well as the overwhelming urge to respond. He lay there, totally blown away by the sensation that was tearing through him.   
  
She pulled back, belatedly realizing she slipped him the tongue, She was relieved that there was no light in the room, lest he see who has been kissing him. Her relief was short lived as a sudden flash of lightning illuminated the room, revealing her to the boy whom she had been kissing for the past couple weeks.  
  
Ranma's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull as he uttered the only word that came to his mind as he saw who the mystery girl was:  
  
"NABIKI?"  
  
End chapter 1  
  
Teaser for the next chapter:  
  
"NABIKI," Ranma gasped, obviously not grasping the concept that the Ice Queen Mercenary Girl was the one who was invading his dreams. 'And my privacy too,' he mentally added.  
  
"Er...hi, Ranma-kun," she said nervously. 'Damn, this is embarrassing,' she thought, 'I haven't been this embarrassed since I accidentlly flashed Kuno in the 8th grade.' She would have to see if he still had that picture of that incident, then threaten his life if he didn't give it back.  
  
"What are you doing here," he asked, trying his best not to think of the kiss she had just given to him.  
  
"Um.. sleepwalking," she replied, her embarrassment increasing at being caught.  
  
"Sleepwalking, right," he said, rolling his eyes, though he knew she couldn't see him in the dark.  
  
"Err.... um, you're not mad are you," she asked, afraid that he might not like her nocturnal visits.  
  
Ranma gave a sharp chuckle and asked, "Do you really want an answer?"  
  
"No, no I don't," she said, the darkness hiding her blush as she had a rather lewd thought about Ranma and a more erotic connotation of "punishment". 


	2. Talking in the Darkness

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Communications. I make nothing from this, so please, please don't sue me.   
  
BTW, I'd like to thank Johnny G, my sole proofreader.  
  
Author notes: Hello and welcome to chapter 2. For you newcomers, go back to chapter 1 please. Those of you who have read chapter 1 and are still here, welcome back. The plot thickens as Ranma and Nabiki talk. Thrilling ain't it? Well, let's start this. *presses a button on the projector and the screen is suddenly filled with the nude forms of Ranma and Nabiki having wild sex. You manage to see that Nabiki's hands are bound together before the screen goes blank.* Er... umm... *coughs.* Wrong film...*changes film and smacks the projector for good measure.* Sorry about that, you weren't supposed to see that. All you minors out there didn't see a damned thing! *presses a button and the title of the picture appears.*  
  
First I Giveth  
  
Chapter 2: Talking in the darkness  
  
by Marik Kurakashi  
  
"NABIKI," Ranma gasped, obviously not grasping the concept that the Ice Queen Mercenary Girl was the one who was invading his dreams. 'And my privacy too,' he mentally added.  
  
"Er...hi, Ranma-kun," she said nervously. 'Damn, this is embarrassing,' she thought, 'I haven't been this embarrassed since I accidentlly flashed Kuno in the 8th grade.' She would have to see if he still had that picture of that incident, then threaten his life if he didn't give it back.  
  
"What are you doing here," he asked, trying his best not to think of the kiss she had just given to him.  
  
"Um.. sleepwalking," she replied, her embarrassment increasing at being caught.  
  
"Sleepwalking, right," he said, rolling his eyes, though he knew she couldn't see him in the dark.  
  
"Err.... um, you're not mad are you," she asked, afraid that he might not like her nocturnal visits.  
  
Ranma gave a sharp chuckle and asked, "Do you really want an answer?"  
  
"No, no I don't," she said, the darkness hiding her blush as she had a rather lewd thought about Ranma and a more erotic connotation of "punishment".   
  
"Why?" he asked, confusion evident in his voice.  
  
"B-because I think I might lo-lo- like you.... a lot," she stammered out, not sure of the wisdom of attaching love to her feelings just yet. She sighed, but only to stop herself from laughing at herself for her Ranma-esque response.  
  
Ranma sputtered a bit at that declaration and hacked for a few moments before he got it under control. "I see," he said plainly, somehow picking those two words out of the infinite sea that was flowing through his brain.  
  
"Yeah," she said faintly, looking away from him even though she couldn't see him.  
  
"If that's the case then why..." he asked, but trailed off at the end, the obvious question hanging in the air.  
  
"Did I give you to Akane?" she replied, sighing before she continued, "Because she was making a not too subtle claim on you."  
  
"Huh, she was?" he asked, not understanding what she meant.  
  
"Ranma-kun," she started, gathering up her courage so she would not falter, "for the last ten years, Akane has this thing where she wants to be all and have all. For example, she set out to woo Dr. Tofu, even though she knew he was crazy about Kasumi. I guess something about Mom's death got it into her head that she had to be stronger so she wouldn't be overlooked."  
  
Ranma digested this bit of info and asked, "Is that why she's always hitting me? Because she wants to be the best martial artist and can't while I'm around? Is that why she calls me a pervert because of an accident I had and I'm better lookin' than her?" If there had been lights on, Nabiki would have seen his curious glance, and something hidden in his eyes.  
  
Nabiki mulled it over for a few seconds and said, "Looks that way, Ranma-kun."   
  
Ranma sighed and said, "You really need to get back to bed, we can talk later."   
  
Nabiki frowned and asked, "And what if I don't want to leave, Ranma-kun?" She reached down and poked him in the chest.  
  
Ranma nonchalantly said, "Fine, stay right there if you want, then you can explain it to everyone else why you've been sneaking in here." He rolled over on to his side, placing his back to her.  
  
Nabiki chuckled at that and asked, "I wondered what Akane would do if she came into wake you up and I was the one snuggled up to you instead of Shampoo?"  
  
Ranma sweated and gasped, "You wouldn't!"  
  
She giggled and asked, "Is that a challenge Ranma-kun?" She moved towards his prostrate form like she was going to lay down with him.  
  
He nervously stuttered, "N-no, i-i-it wasn't.... P-p-please d-d-don't do this?" Even though he knew she was joking, the thought of a girl in the same bed as him turned him beat red.  
  
She laughed and got up to leave. She paused at the door and said, "I'll expect to have some time to talk to you later, Ranma-kun."  
  
He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Hai, we'll talk, just go to bed."  
  
She giggled again and exited the room. He started to relax and go back to sleep, blissfully unaware of the eavesdropper in his room. Ryoga, in his pig form, squealed in anger that the fiendish Saotome would play with his beloved Akane's heart while carousing with her sister at night. He silently vowed to finish Ranma off this time, now if only he could find where they had hidden the door...  
  
The next morning, Ranma was once again the human vacuum they had come to expect. He was in a rare good mood, as he had successfully managed not to make his pop any stupider than he already was. Though he always thought you had to have a brain to bruise, if he understood what the word concussion meant. He smiled at the relief that showed around the table now that he was back to normal.  
  
Soun was impressed with the amount of character the boy, nay young man, was showing this morning. In a rare display of kindness to his father, he gave him some of his food to avoid having a reason to hit his father. When his father had asked what was the matter with him, he simply responded that his father's head was messed up and any further trauma would render him unable to train further in the Art. His chest swelling with pride, he almost missed the look of admiration on his middle daughter's face.  
  
Almost.  
  
The look gave Soun pause, as he wondered, not for the first time, if he had made a mistake in following the lead of his elder daughters. He pushed it away, knowing that he was seeing things that simply did not exist. Unbidden, a memory flared to life in his mind and refused to go away. It was the day Nabiki declared she was going to stop practicing the Arts. He sighed, such wasted potential, but this disappointment in her wasn't the only time he felt that, he realized. He was disappointed that after all her excitement over the engagement, she simply palmed Ranma off on Akane.  
  
He sighed again and ate at a more leisurely pace, briefly wondering why he always ate like a man possessed. He came to the conclusion that since his old friend wasn't above stealing food from his own son, he wouldn't be above stealing from him. As he thought about that, he realized that he would have to speak with him after breakfast.  
  
"Well, I'm off to school," Nabiki said as she got up from the table.  
  
"Have a good day at school, Nabiki-chan," Soun called, ignoring the look of shock that came from her and everyone else in the room.   
  
Nabiki simply decided to file that away for later and grabbed her satchel and headed out the door. Ranma, once the shock had gotten through his system, grinned at him. Akane stopped in mid-stride on her way to snag the pig-tailed martial artist to get them to school and stared dumbly at her father. Genma shrugged it off and finished his food.  
  
After the "happy couple" left, Soun noted that his eldest daughter was gathering up the dishes and said, "Here, Kasumi-chan, let me help with these." He started gathering up the dishes in front of him. He headed for the kitchen and was greeted by a dazzling smile courtesy of his eldest daughter. Now, Kasumi smiling wasn't that rare of an occurence, but it was rare that she smiled because she was actually happy. He soon realized that he had broken out into his own happy grin and simply nodded to her and placed the dishes on the counter before heading back to the dining room for more.  
  
'Kami,' he thought on the trek back to the dining room, 'is that what I've been missing out on these last ten years? Have I really squandered away the chance to see all my daughters smile like that?' He filed it away for later and decided to bask in the glow of warmth he got from helping Kasumi.  
  
Later that day, Ranma stood in frank disbelief at his opponent. His opponent was none other than the eternally lost Ryoga. Now, the two rivals facing off may not seem to be a big deal, but factor in Ryoga's penchant to get lost, one would not expect to see him again after watching him leave just the other day. Ranma's brain whirled with various theories on how it was possible that Ryoga had found him so fast.  
  
Ryoga was having a hard time believing it as well, but he wasn't going to squander this opportunity at vengeance. "Ranma, for-" he started to yell, until he caught sight of both Tendo sisters. Now, Ryoga knew that Ranma knew about his curse. He also knew that Ranma's code of honor would prevent him from telling Akane or anyone else, but he knew that if he gave Ranma a reason, he would expose his curse to Akane.  
  
Ryoga's pea brain got to work on his current dilemma, as he contemplated completing his battle cry. If he made Ranma angry enough, he would reveal his curse to Akane, which was bad. If he did that, Akane would be mad at Ranma, which was good. But then she would be mad at him, which was bad. If he unvieled what he had seen to Akane, she would be mad at Ranma, which was good. But then Nabiki would be mad at him, and for some reason that scared the living shit out of him. Tallying everything up, his brain concluded that it was not a good idea to complete the battle cry.  
  
".....making my life a living hell, I will kill you," he lamely finished about half an hour later.  
  
"Zzzzzzz," was Ranma's response, as he was asleep standing up, a snot bubble coming from his nose.  
  
Ryoga facefaulted, then slowly pulled himself to his feet. He dusted himself off and roared, "RANMA, PREPARE TO DIE!" With that he lunged at the pig-tailed one.  
  
To most of the spectators, it looked like Ranma was in deep shit. As Ryoga neared, many winced in anticipation of the sound of his skull being shattered. In the next instant, many were rubbing their eyes to see if they were seeing things. With a simple yawn, Ranma had launched a mighty backfist that sent Ryoga skidding across the dirt for about 10 meters.  
  
Ranma stretched some more and asked sleepily, "I thought I heard Ryoga yellin', where'd he go?"  
  
Nabiki, one of the few who still had command of their voice, asked in total disbelief, "You don't know?"  
  
Ranma shook his head and said, "Er.. no. Why?"  
  
Nabiki pointed to the struggling form of Ryoga as he tried to get up. "Wow! What happened to him," Ranma asked, his brain not having the chance to get rid of the fog of sleep.  
  
Nabiki managed to keep an amused smirk off her face and asked, "You really don't know do you?" Ranma shook his head. "You stretched when you woke up and you hit Ryoga with a backfist that sent him flying," she said, keeping the disbelief out of her voice somehow.  
  
"Oh," Ranma non-plussed, shocked that he had essentially repelled Ryoga's attack in his sleep.  
  
By this time, Ryoga had managed to stand again, his wits had left him, though one could argue that his wits were never there in the first place. He glared at Ranma and shakily took a fighting stance. 'I will make you pay,' he thought to himself, not trusting his mouth to say anything right now.  
  
"Ya sure you want to continue, Ryoga?" Ranma asked, not wanting to be seen as picking on a weakling.  
  
"Chickening out are you, Ranma? I shouldn't be surprised that a *girl* like you would chicken out," Ryoga responded, his brains unscrambling as he spoke.  
  
"Bite me, P-chan," Ranma growled back. He took a stance of his own and continued, "Are you ready this time P-chan, or are ya gonna stand there like a statue?"  
  
"I will have my revenge," the lost boy roared, rushing back at Ranma.  
  
The battle began anew, with Ryoga throwing everything he had at Ranma, and Ranma simply dancing around, counter attacking all the while. It was business as usual for those who were used to the scraps between the two, though some whispered that Ranma should have already pounded Ryoga into the turf. As the fight intensified, the crowd's chatter ceased as they were left breathless yet again by the display put on by the two rivals.  
  
The battle had left one spectator silent, but for different reasons than the skill that was displayed. Akane was trying to figure out her older sister's strange behavior for the second day in a row. While everyone else was gawking at Ranma's apparent nonchalance to Ryoga's challenge, Akane was staring at Nabiki, who was not charging Ranma for the information she provided.  
  
She easily dismissed Ranma's blow as sheer luck and was paying attention to Ranma and Nabiki's conversation. The fact that she had not charged him was not lost on her, but the fact that she had a fairly mirthful air about her was reason enough for alarm. Over the past few days, Nabiki seemed to be warming up to Ranma. Even scarier was the fact that he didn't seemed to mind.  
  
And for the life of her, she couldn't understand why.  
  
While Nabiki hadn't been the most sympathetic person to most of Ranma's plight, she couldn't help but feel threatened by her older sister. She would not deny that if her sister was a lot more open with people, Ranma wouldn't be able to resist her obvious charms. She worried that Ranma would be caught in her sister's web, unsure of her ability to free him from her if she succeeded.  
  
It simply chilled the marrow in her bones.  
  
She pushed that aside for now, deciding to focus on the brawl between her reluctant fiancé and her would-be friend, if only he'd show up more often than every other week. She watched the fight with a slightly worried look on her face, turning away from Nabiki so she wouldn't have to endure the teasing that she liked Ranma. She had always estimated that Ryoga was somewhere around Ranma's skill level, with Ranma only marginally better than him.  
  
But Ranma was easily dispelling that theory.  
  
She always figured that if she could get Ryoga to stick around long enough for him to teach her how he fought Ranma so well, it wouldn't be long before she would avenge her defeat at his, at the time her, hands. After she had lost to him, she decided that she would discourage her sisters from getting close to him, if only so she could figure out how he was so good. Once her defeat was avenged, she would decide what she wanted to do with him.  
  
If Nabiki truly was interested in him, then she could have him after she had her revenge.  
  
The cry went up, resounding out amongst the school, Ranma Saotome was victorious again. It was the clincher for those who were still stubborn enough to bet against Ranma, as they had lost the last of their yen to this devil in Chinese clothes. Nabiki casually weaved through the crowd, collecting her winnings, before stopping to congratulate Ranma on his win. It was doing this seemingly innocent event that Ranma discovered something that blew his mind.  
  
He discovered that Nabiki had a really nice smile, even if he had never seen it before this moment.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Soun sat across the shogi table from Genma, sharing a cup of tea before they would start their eternal struggle to see who the better cheater, er.. player, was between them. The Tendo patriarch looked surprisingly thoughtful as he contemplated what he would say to the Saotome patriarch. "Saotome-kun, this is hard for me to say and I would never question your parenting skill, but do you think it's wise to press the engagement like we have?" Soun asked, sipping his tea at the end of his question.  
  
"Of course it is, Tendo-kun," Genma scoffed. "If it's left up to the boy, our families will never be joined!"  
  
It was a rare sight indeed that at the mention of the possible failure of their plans that Tendo Soun did not cry. He did not wail, all he did was sip his tea. He took a deep breath and asked, "Every time you've mentioned the engagement to him, how does he react?"  
  
Genma looked puzzled and said, "He yells that he's not going to marry Akane. You've seen it enough times yourself to know this Tendo-kun."  
  
"Saotome-kun, have I ever told you that I envy you for having a son," Soun asked, taking another sip before he continued, "I have three wonderful daughters, but I now realize what I regret most from my wife's early demise... I never got to have a son, someone I didn't need to be careful with. Someone who would emulate me, like my daughters did with their mother." He sighed and wiped a single tear from his eye.  
  
Genma was simply amazed that his old friend hadn't broken down into his usual hysterics and just stared blankly at him, wondering just what manners of aliens had kidnapped Soun, and how would he thank them if he met them. After a few moments of silence, Genma realized that Soun was waiting for him to say something. He took a deep breath and said, "I understand what you're getting at Tendo-kun. Don't take the boy for granted, because you never know when he'll be gone right?"  
  
Soun nodded, a slight smile on his face at being able to get his point across. He thought for a second, frowning slightly before he said, "The best course of action is to make sure he understands that we will only force him to marry if he continues to protest the engagement. Maybe we can compromise that if he agrees to stop with all of his protests, we will stop any schemes to get him married to one of my daughters."  
  
Genma nodded along, until Soun came to the end of his little speech and recoiled in horror. "I thought we agreed that he would marry Akane," Genma asked, sounding completely mortified that Soun was about to give Ranma far too much middle ground.  
  
Soun narrowed his eyes in a look that put even Nabiki's harshest glare to shame. "Are you insinuating that my other two daughters are so hideous that Ranma wouldn't even think of them?" he asked, his tone promising a lot of pain.  
  
"N-n-no, o-of c-course not T-tendo-kun," Genma nervously stammered, his natural cowardice flaring to life.  
  
"Good," Soun said simply, "You don't want to know what I'd do to you if you were insinuating such a thing."  
  
While Genma had no way of knowing what he would do physically, he thought of all the horror stories Soun had told him of Akane's cooking. He then remembered how terrible Soun was at cooking and blanched even deeper. He gingerly rubbed his stomach and asked, "Say, Tendo-kun, you want to play another round of shogi?"   
  
It was the only thing he could do to prevent himself from having a Soun-esque breakdown of his own.  
  
A little while later, Ranma, Akane and Nabiki had returned home from the after-school brawl, Nabiki yet again crowing about the profits she had made this day. Akane sulked past both of them, thoroughly ignored by her sister and fiancé, who was trying his best to look like he was interested in what Nabiki had to say. Ranma may not have understood most of the lecture on the importance of money, but he did understand that it was a chance to see Nabiki let her hair down. While he wasn't having any sort of romantic feelings for her, he at least wanted to be her friend.  
  
It was the least he could do for her.  
  
Soun noted the entrance of the younger Saotome and his two daughters and called, "Ranma-san, if I may have a moment of your time before you spar with your father?"  
  
Ranma and Nabiki blinked at each other. She shrugged and said, "We'll talk later Ranma-kun."  
  
Ranma nodded and said, "Sure thing, Nabiki-san." He headed towards the gaming area to find his father moping about like he had just been told the world had run out of food. "What's up, Tendo-san," he asked, respect in his tone that was not there before.  
  
Soun smiled and said, "I just wanted to let you know what your father and I have decided about the agreement between or families."  
  
If not for their talk last night, Ranma would have already started his protests, causing it to degenerate into an argument that Akane eventually ended with her mallet. Thanks to that, Ranma now saw the wisdom in hearing Soun out and said simply, "Go on, Tendo-san."  
  
Soun nodded and said, "We've decided to compromise with you on it."  
  
Ranma arched an eyebrow and asked, "Oh?"  
  
Soun nodded again and said, "Yes, if you agree to stop saying you will never get married, your father and I will quit pushing you to marry one of my daughters." He looked expectantly at Ranma, while Genma simply whimpered in lieu of saying he didn't support this compromise.  
  
Both of Ranma's eyebrows looked like they were ready to jump off his face as he asked, "One of your daughters? I thought you said I had to marry Akane?"  
  
Soun hung his head and said in a remorseful tone, "Before, I thought you were just some boy who needed the proper guidance of an elder. Now I understand that you are no longer a boy, but a man who deserves to have a little leeway in this agreement."  
  
Ranma was genuinely touched by Soun's words and simply nodded his head and said, "Hai, Tendo-san. Please excuse me for my oversight."  
  
Soun lifted his head and dismissively waved a hand. "You have done nothing to apologize for. So, do we have an agreement?" He extended the hand he waved to Ranma.  
  
Ranma reached out and shook Soun's hand and said, "Hai, Tendo-san."  
  
Soun nodded and said, "If you wish to remain Akane's fiancé so she won't have to deal with those boys at school, I understand. Just remember, you have agreed to marry a Tendo, and Akane isn't the only single Tendo female in this house. Just remember your promise, Ranma-san, this promise between men." He patted Ranma on the back and chuckled a bit.  
  
Ranma instinctively winced when he sensed Soun rear back for the back slap, but was surprised that there was no sting to it. He popped one eye open, spotting Genma there on the floor, still moping. "Hey, Pop, we got practice, don't lay on your lazy panda butt all day," Ranma said, making his way out back.  
  
Genma groaned, praying to the gods, asking just who he had pissed off to deserve this. Naturally, he didn't get an answer, if only because the gods decided against compiling a list of everyone Genma ever pissed off in his life. He got up from the floor, realizing he was about to have a very real stomach ache thanks to his son's promise to not hit him in the head.  
  
'There is no justice in this world,' he thought bitterly, though the rest of reality's definition of justice slightly differed from his own.  
  
Later that night, dinner was the most enjoyable one Soun could remember since his wife died. He had miraculously managed to get most of his crying fits under control, as such he merely sniffled as he thought of her. To his pleasant surprise, Nabiki had actively engaged in conversation with Kasumi, Ranma, Akane, and she even had a few kind words to say to him. He only grinned like a moron this time, instead of his usual waterworks, much to the delight of all those around the table who didn't have to worry about getting soaked.  
  
He felt alive. For the first time in ten years, Tendo Soun felt alive. He actively chatted with his daughters, as well as his old friend and his prospective son-in-law, which reinforced his decision to come out of his hollow shell.  
  
For the first time in years, he could clearly see his wife's smiling face.  
  
With dinner eaten and everyone about to go off on their own, Soun began to silently gather up the platters and usher them into the kitchen, pausing only to kiss Kasumi on the forehead. The rest of the table stared at him as he silently worked to clean the table. He ignored them, the only thing on his mind was that happy smile on his eldest daughter's face.  
  
And he knew he would do anything in his power to keep that genuine smile on her face.  
  
He thought back to after lunch and how slightly put off Kasumi had been that he went off to play shogi after bringing the dishes in, so he asked tenatively, "Um, Kasumi-chan, would it be alright if I sat in here and talked to you while you wash the dishes?"  
  
Kasumi continued to smile and nodded, afraid of gushing praise to her father, lest he turn into a blubbering mess. She could not be paranoid of her father's change, and simply accepted it without hesitation. She started up a conversation with her father, happily chatting away, her spirit soaring high.  
  
For the first time since her mother's death, Tendo Kasumi felt desire burn within her breast again. She swore to herself that she would no longer accept being a daughter her father could be proud of, but rather a daughter that he would no longer feel guilty about ruining her life.  
  
She owed it to him far too much not to try.  
  
Later that evening, Ranma sat in his room, talking to Nabiki. As he had done with Soun, he was trying to get her to open up to him. She stymied his efforts, though he could feel it was more of she wanted him to fidget in curiosity before she would tell. "So, what hobbies do you have besides making money?" he asked, hoping that there was indeed something more to her than the facade she put up everyday.  
  
She smiled, setting off a strange array of feelings within him, and said, "As long as I have your word that you won't say anything, I like to collect manga."  
  
He nodded his head and simply said, "I see..." He couldn't shake the fact that he was missing something, so he asked, "What kind do ya collect?"  
  
Her smile deepened into a grin and she asked in a tone that mocked Kodachi, "And why should I tell you that?"  
  
He slumped his shoulders and said, "Aw, come on, Nabiki...."  
  
She giggled girlishly and said, "I'm only teasing you, Ranma-kun. I like to collect romance manga."  
  
Ranma noted two things from her latest response, it was weird when she giggled and it shocked him that she collected those silly romance manga most of the other girls seemed to be glued to during lunch. He blinked several times before he asked, "Any particular reason why?"  
  
She neither giggled nor did she smile and she quietly said, "Most likely because they remind of how a normal girl is supposed to act."   
  
He noted there was a small amount of longing and a slight twinge of depression in her tone. He realized that he would have to reevaluate his opinion of the middle Tendo, if only because he was now looking to be her friend. He steeled himself and apolgized for his thoughtlessness and changed the subject.  
  
They talked long into the night, both learning more about the other in the span of a few short hours then what they hadn't in a month. Both left that conversation feeling revitalized and were both able to face the morrow with renewed hope and vigor. They both silently realized that this was the start of something neither one might have totally control of ever.  
  
And that thought didn't scare them as much as they thought it would or, perhaps, should.  
  
For Ranma, it was another step towards seeing the Tendo dojo as home. He realized that his life on the road was over, and that he was not as torn up about that as he thought he would be. He then realized that he was beginning to see Soun something more of a sensei and friend, rather than some idiot friend of his father's. He also realized that he was starting to find the Nabiki frozen in the sea of ice that she had erected. He was determined to help her find her true self again. He fully realized that this place really was his home.  
  
And he knew he would move heaven and earth to make sure his home was safe.  
  
For Nabiki, it was the tenative first step out from her shell that she had cocooned herself in so very long ago. She hoped that she would be able to transform herself from the Ugly Ice Queen to the Beautiful Princess that she often dreamed of being so long ago. She realized fully that she owed Ranma a debt that she may never be able to pay him. She realized that she wanted to change herself for him, to be a good friend for him.  
  
And she knew that she would move heaven and earth to stay by his side.  
  
  
  
End Chapter 2  
  
Teaser for Chapter 3:  
  
Ranma, Akane and Nabiki were near the city aquaducts, when a familiar sing-song voice cried, "Nihao!"  
  
Ranma sweated when he saw the purple-haired Amazon peddle up to them on a bike he had no idea she owned. "S-shampoo, h-how nice to see you," he stammered, hoping that she would not glomp him and get him sent into LEO.  
  
"Nihao, friend Ranma," she said simply.  
  
"W-what? You're not going to call him 'airen'," Akane blustered, confused that the Amazon had seemingly given up.  
  
"Shampoo do some thinking and she decided to do what in her best interest," she replied.  
  
"And that would be?" Nabiki asked, putting a little more anger into her voice than she had intended to.  
  
"That Shampoo not return to Joketzusoku. All there for Shampoo is pain and torture. Shampoo no want Jusenkyo curse, so she stay here." The purple-haired girl replied, her voice not wavering once. 


	3. The Return of Shampoo

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Communications. I make nothing from this, so please don't sue me.  
  
Author notes: Hello and welcome to chapter 3 of our little AU adventure where Shampoo returns. There's a little plot twist somewhere, but I'll never tell! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! *coughs rapidly.* Hooo, never tried to sustain one of those for that long. *there is a knock on the projection room door.* Now who could that be? *goes to the door and opens it revealing Akane, Ranma and Nabiki.* Oh, hello there, what can I do for you?  
  
*Ranma*: Where did you get that film at?  
  
*Akane*: What film Ranma? You said he was spreading dirty pictures of me around!  
  
*Ranma*: Ehehehehehehehehehehehe.... *rubs the back of his head.*  
  
*Nabiki*: *gives Ranma a dirty look.*  
  
*Marik*: Hah? Oh, THAT film..... *gets a shocked look.* You mean that was real?  
  
*Nabiki*: *rushes forward and clamps a hand over Ranma's mouth.* No, no. He was just wondering how you managed to splice it togther to make it look so real, right Saotome? *clinches her teeth.* RIGHT?  
  
*Ranma*: H-hai.  
  
*Akane*: Ranma, you lying jerk! *storms out of the projection room.*  
  
*Marik*: *once he's sure Akane is out of earshot.* That's the last time I lend any of my video equipment to either of you.  
  
*Nabiki*: Will ya shut up?  
  
*Ranma*: Right, just start the picture, we need to talk.*  
  
*walks over to the projector and presses the button to start the picture.*  
  
First I Giveth  
  
Chapter 3: The Return of Shampoo  
  
by Marik Kurakashi  
  
The world was so cold, so unforgiving to the Amazon Shampoo. Only a handful of days before, she was the happiest she had ever been in her entire life. She had found herself a husband, a male of rare character and skill. She felt that he was the one for her, the one to dispell her loneliness.  
  
  
  
Only it had all been a lie.  
  
Her beloved husband had a Jusenkyo curse which turned him into the red-haired girl who had shattered all of her dreams. On the day she had arrived, Shampoo was supposed to claim her spot as the future Matriarch of Joketsuzoku. It was to be her defining moment, her time in the sun outside of her great-grandmother's shadow.  
  
If only she hadn't shown up.  
  
No, that wasn't right. If not for the red-haired girl, her great-grandmother would have continued to lay off the more powerful techniques she had wanted to learn. It was a simple task, track down and kill the girl who had disgraced her so.  
  
If only she hadn't really been a boy.  
  
It should have been so easy to kill the red-headed devil and avenge her honor. She would take the head back to her villiage and display it for all her rivals and doubters to see. She would once again be the standard for the warriors of Joketsuzoku.  
  
But she knew that was a lie.  
  
There were plenty of times she had come upon the girl while she slept. It should have been easy to kill her, but for some reason her heart cried for her to stop. She felt shame at the mere thought of doing something so dishonorable as killing her prey in its sleep.  
  
That had to be the answer to her internal strife.  
  
With a heavy heart and eyes that had cried too many tears, Shampoo pulled herself off of the floor of the abandon Chinese restaurant that had been her bed for the night. It was another miserable day, as she continued to steel herself for eventual return to Joketsuzoku. She could feel the dread creep through her soul.  
  
She could almost feel the pools of Jusenkyo calling her.  
  
Pushing it from her mind, Shampoo left the building. She continued to debate whether or not she should return to China today. A small but rebellious part of her mind told her to stay out and let Great-Grandmother come and retrive her if she was so important to her. The practical part of her mind warned her not to disgrace her heritage and family. It veritably screamed that being proud of her heritage set her apart from these barbarian Japanese. The rebellious part countered the practcal's claim by simply asking what that pride had gotten her.  
  
She found herself agreeing completely with the rebellious part.  
  
And that thought gave her pause. What had happened to her that she would turn her back on her heritage? She found that she couldn't answer that, at least not yet. It frightened her to think that she was coming down with the very barbarism that these backward Japanese displayed.  
  
It was downright scary.  
  
She bumped into a young man whose features were hidden by the hood of his cloak, "Shampoo sorry, I not see you there," she said, though she had no idea why she was apologizing to this stranger.  
  
"It's okay, young miss," the stranger replied, his blue eyes shining in the darkness of his hood.  
  
"Who you be," she asked, deciding to be polite.  
  
"Me? I am called Shue," he answered, chuckling slightly under his breath.  
  
"Shue," she questioningly repeated, "You have funny name."  
  
"No funnier than Xian Pu, I guess," the stranger replied, eyes twinkling mirthfuly.  
  
"How you know me?" she asked, readying to draw her bonbori should he be the Amazon her great-grandmother sent.  
  
"Mmm, that is a good question," he mused, his right hand tapping his concealed chin. "I suppose I could have gotten lucky and guessed your name," he said nonchalantly.  
  
"You no from Joketsuzoku?" she asked, confusion evident in her tone.  
  
"Goodness no child," he replied, his eyes widening in shock. "What would make you think that?" he asked, a curious tone to his voice.  
  
"Because Shampoo fail in her quest to kill girl who had defeated her," she said dejectedly, wondering why she was opening up to this stranger.  
  
"I see," he said simply, his hidden lips twisting into a frown. "What do you plan on doing now?" he asked  
  
"Shampoo not know," she said, tears beginning to well up in her eyes, though she had no idea why.  
  
"Surely you must have some kind of plan," the stranger scoffed, his disbelief evident in his tone.  
  
"{I don't know, you ignorant male!}" she hissed in Mandarin, not caring if he could understand her or not.  
  
The stranger nodded, seeming to understand perfectly. "I see.... So you have not explored all your options then?"  
  
"{What options?}" she asked, not caring to revert to Japanese. She absently noted that he could understand her this way, so it didn't matter what she spoke.  
  
"You could return to Joketsuzoku and get cursed, or you could just choose exile," he said simply, as if it was obvious.  
  
"{Are you suggesting I turn my back on my heritage?}" she asked, her tone angry and incredulous.  
  
"Not at all," he said, waving his hands in a placating gesture. "I would like to ask just what that heriatge has done for you that you so blindly follow it?"  
  
"{It's what makes me an Amazon warrior, not just some woman of Joketsuzoku.}" came her idignant reply.  
  
"So, you being an Amazon warrior has nothing to do with the warrior training you recieved? It's just you're heritage that makes you so?" he asked, his face still hidden.  
  
"{Maybe you have a point, but tell me why I shouldn't just strike you down for your insolence?}" she tartly asked.  
  
"Well, you did fail to kill the girl," he said, but stopped at Shampoo's murderous glare. "Well, why haven't you already?" he asked, a plain tone in his voice.  
  
She grinned nastily, causing a shiver of fear to run down his spine. In a flash, she had her bonbori maces in her hand and she rushed him, swinging all the while. He made a good showing, until one of the maces bashed him upside his head. It should have been easy for his peripherial vison to pick up.  
  
If only he hadn't been wearing that stupid hood.  
  
He was hurled head first into a nearby post, his head making a nice clang sound when he hit. He layed quite still, barely breathing, his world beginning to dim. One thought flashed through his brain before he blacked out:  
  
'Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut...'  
  
Shampoo snorted and returned her maces to weapon space, gaining no satisfaction in silencing the fool. She marched on,her mind whirring with all the possibilities that lay in front of her. She would have a lot of thinking to do this night, and as such, what she decided would impact more lives than just her own.  
  
She wasn't sure if she liked the responsibility being thrust upon her like this.  
  
- -  
  
It was a typical morning at the Tendo compound, the only changes being Ranma and Nabiki's budding friendship and Soun closing up the Tendo Patriarch Waterworks. Akane wasn't happy that Ranma and Nabiki were geting closer, though if it was because of jealousy or possessiveness, no one knew and Akane wasn't letting anyone in on the secret. After a nice breakfast, Ranma, Akane and Nabiki had actually managed to set out for school earlier than usual.  
  
It may have been strange, but they didn't seem to mind actually being able to take their time to Furinikan.  
  
Ranma, Akane and Nabiki were near the city aquaducts, when a familiar sing-song voice cried, "Nihao!"  
  
Ranma sweated when he saw the purple-haired Amazon peddle up to them on a bike he had no idea she owned. "S-shampoo, h-how nice to see you," he stammered, hoping that she would not glomp him and get him sent into LEO.  
  
"Nihao, friend Ranma," she said simply.  
  
"W-what? You're not going to call him 'airen'," Akane blustered, confused that the Amazon had seemingly given up.  
  
"Shampoo do some thinking and she decided to do what in her best interest," she replied.  
  
"And that would be?" Nabiki asked, putting a little more anger into her voice than she had intended to.  
  
"That Shampoo not return to Joketzusoku. All there for Shampoo is pain and torture. Shampoo no want Jusenkyo curse, so she stay here." The purple-haired girl replied, her voice not wavering once.  
  
"Why aren't you chasing Ranma anymore?" Akane asked, confusion wrought in her tone.  
  
"Shampoo know that Ranma no want marry her, so she think it waste of time and too much pain to continue chasing him." came the curt reply, the Amazon's eyes narrowing.  
  
Akane opened her mouth to ask another question, but Nabiki held up an arm to silence her. She glared at her older sister, but the elder sibling just shook her head. The school bound trio started for school again with Shampoo in tow.  
  
It was an actually pleasent walk, as there were no threats, glomps or anything else.  
  
They finally arrived at Furinkan in due time, their conversation still being friendly in nature. Kuno attacked and was quickly sent to dreamland by Ranma. Their talk continued at a friendly level, until a painful subject was broached.  
  
"So what do you plan now doing from now on, Shampoo-san?" Ranma asked politely.  
  
"Shampoo plan on staying in Japan, learn its ways, and maybe find herself a good husband." Shampoo replied.  
  
"Just remember Ranma is off limits," Akane snapped.  
  
  
  
"You think Shampoo is stupid because she no can speak Japanese good? I already say I have no interest in Ranma anymore, so angry girl no need to worry." Shampoo growled back.  
  
"You Chinese bimbo! Just because I don't have a top heavy figure as you, doesn't mean I'm any less a woman!" Akane shouted in reply.  
  
A loud smack rung out through the schoolyard. Akane turned her head slowly in shock to see her sister Nabiki glowering at her. She hung her head in shame when she realized she was sniping at Shampoo for no reason.  
  
"I don't know if you've noticed Akane-chan, but Shampoo here can walk all over you like you're nothing. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to provoke someone who has shown the ability yo kill you with ease?" Nabiki asked, her annoyance at Akane manifesting in her tone.  
  
"Gomen, oneechan," the younger Tendo said.  
  
"It's not me who you should be apologizing to, Akane-chan, it's Shampoo." Her sister retorted flatly.  
  
"G-gomen Nasai, Shampoo-san. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you." the raven-haired girl said, her head dropping further into a bow.  
  
"Apology accepted, Akane," Shampoo said, pausing momentarily before she added, "Maybe you and Shampoo can spar later?"  
  
"Hai, I'd be honored," Akane said, smiling a little bit.  
  
The Amazon turned to Nabiki and said, "Thank you, Nabiki. You have prevented Shampoo from making great error in judgment." She bowed at the end, showing her respect for the girl who had cut off a potentially disaterous fight.  
  
"It's no problem, Shampoo-san. I figured since you were going out on a limb to be nice to us, I should extend the same courtesy to you," the brown-haired girl replied, an easy smile on her face.  
  
The two Tendo sisters said their goodbyes to Shampoo and headed for class. Ranma shuffled somewhat nervously in the presence of the first girl to ever kiss him. He was having some difficulty believing she had given up on him, though he was unsure of why he was doubting her word.  
  
"So," he started, "I guess the whole kiss of marrirage is nullified, huh?"  
  
"Yes," the purple-haired girl replied with some difficulty.  
  
"This is pretty hard for you, isn't it?" The pig-tailed boy asked.  
  
"Aiyaa," she murmured.  
  
"Maybe we can still be friends though, right?" He asked hopefully.  
  
"Of course, Shampoo be honored to have you as friend." She said, a smile broadening across her features.  
  
They all said their goodbyes and went their seperate ways. Shampoo peddled off to who knows where, and the others went to class. The winds of change had blown into Nerima, swift and fast without anyone noticing.  
  
The changes were significant, but were not unwelcomed.  
  
For those involved, the changes shown this morning were both refreshing and reassuring. To be certain, the gaining of allies and friends is infinitely better than new enemies. These new bonds forged this morning would be cherished for times to come.  
  
For Akane, it was more then the elimination of a rival for Ranma that she would cherish, rather it was gaining soemone who could advance her training in the arts. Her mind and heart were still at odds with the pig-tailed boy, but she would not let that bring her down this day. No matter what, the fate of Saotome Ranma still rested in her hands.  
  
And she wouldn't have it any other way.  
  
For Nabiki, it was the gaining of her second friend that she would cherish, a memory that would be frozen in crystal to perserve its purity. Her heart was glad that Shampoo was out of the running for Ranma, as it made it easier for her to slowly drag Ranma from Akane. While it hurt to have to potentially crush her sister's heart so callously, she need but remind herself that Akane owed her.  
  
And Tendo Nabiki didn't leave a debt uncollected.  
  
For Ranma, it was the removal of guilt that he would cherish, a great burden that had been lifted from his shoulders. He swore he would value his new friendship with Shampoo as he was beginning to do with Nabiki, though it may not out gain that one in importance. He could feel his spirit continuing to soar high over the clouds.  
  
And he wouldn't want it any other way.  
  
For Shampoo, it was a way of weighing anchor, a way to motivate herself in her coming battle with her great-grandmother. She swore that she would not allow her friends to be involved in her problems, even going so far as vowing her life to protect them from her great-grandmother's grasp. She felt her sorrow fade, as though it were night being shoved aside for the light of happiness.  
  
And it felt so wonderful.....  
  
End chapter 3  
  
Teaser for Chapter 4(assuming Ranma and Nabiki don't kill me.):  
  
Nabiki sat at her desk, looking into a hand mirror while silently wondering what had changed in her so much. She noted that there was a distinct lack of her usual frostiness in her expression. She and Ranma had been growing rapidly closer, their new friendship becoming something totally different in a short amount of time.  
  
She wondered if she was making a mistake doing it.  
  
It crossed her mind that her attraction to Ranma may have been because Ranma was Akane's fiancé, not because of Ranma himself. She asked herself the same questions that she had since that first fateful night when she had impulsively kissed Ranma in his room after the Gymnastics match at St. Hebereke. Did she really care for him? Or was it because she was lonely?  
  
What in the hell was it about Saotome Ranma that seemed to turn her insides to goo?  
  
It was a question just about every girl who had ever become enamored with the young Saotome seemed to ask. What was this unknown quality that seemed to lift him above ordinary men and make him so damned special? It was fastly becoming hard for her not to think of him constantly, and she was certain it was just as bad for Akane as well.  
  
She wondered just what had caused her to change.  
  
It had started that dark night in his room. She had snuck into his room to take some pictures of onna-Ranma when she studied the boy in the minor light she had provided for her camera. She had felt things shift within herself, had clearly felt an attraction there that had not been all that present since she had first heard of this boy.  
  
What was it about Saotome Ranma that had relit the flames of passion within her breast? 


	4. The Winds of Change

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 does not belong to me, but all your bases do. I expect you out by midnight. Anyways, Ranma and all its characters portrayed herein belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Communications. I make nothing from this, so please don't sue me. Please? *puppy dog look.*  
  
Author Notes: Well, here we are for chapter 4 of my little A/U adventure. Time for a little introspection by all the characters, as the changes that have happened begin to sink in. *arches an eyebrow as if someone off screen is asking him a question.* How am I doing? I'm doing fine, just a little sore. Luckily, Ranma only broke four of my ribs. Oh, and my right leg as well... I really need to learn when to shut up. *uses his cane to hobble over to the projector and press the button to start the fic.*  
  
Also, I apologize this story's extreme lateness, as I was merely trying to insure quality over speed.  
  
P.S. If anyone can clue me into the specific name of the mountains outside of Nerima Ranma and co. train at times, please put it in the review. Thanks.  
  
First I Giveth  
  
Chapter 4: The Winds of Change  
  
by Marik Kurakashi  
  
It was a long week for the tenants of the Tendo compound, as well as a hard week for those who were associated with them. The usual craziness that was associated with them had come and gone, leaving an eerie atmosphere of calm that they were not accustomed to, though they would be if it would stay around. There had been a whirlwind of change that had blown through their lives, leaving them to readjust from the suddeness of it all.  
  
It was more than a little disconcerting at how fast the changes had happened.  
  
The changes had been minor in stature, but had a huge impact on those involved in them. As such, they worked hard to assimilate the differences into their lives. The dynamics of friendships and relationships had drastically changed in a quick flash.  
  
Those who had grown in this manner were still having trouble believe that the changes had happened.  
  
Night had fallen at the Tendo compound, which had been the location for many of these shifts in their lives. The occupants busied themselves in various nighttime activities, all the while contemplating all that had happened to them in these few short days. Some of the shifts they had under gone were either very easy to adapt to, or were still in the process of completing themselves.  
  
If only all this had happened sooner...  
  
- -  
  
Nabiki sat at her desk, looking into a hand mirror while silently wondering what had changed in her so much. She noted that there was a distinct lack of her usual frostiness in her expression. She and Ranma had been growing rapidly closer, their new friendship becoming something totally different in a short amount of time.  
  
She wondered if she was making a mistake doing it.  
  
It crossed her mind that her attraction to Ranma may have been because Ranma was Akane's fiancé, not because of Ranma himself. She asked herself the same questions that she had since that first fateful night when she had impulsively kissed Ranma in his room after the Gymnastics match at St. Hebereke. Did she really care for him? Or was it because she was lonely?  
  
What in the hell was it about Saotome Ranma that seemed to turn her insides to goo?  
  
It was a question just about every girl who had ever become enamored with the young Saotome seemed to ask. What was this unknown quality that seemed to lift him above ordinary men and make him so damned special? It was fastly becoming hard for her not to think of him constantly, and she was certain it was just as bad for Akane as well.  
  
She wondered just what had caused her to change.  
  
It had started that dark night in his room. She had snuck into his room to take some pictures of onna-Ranma when she studied the boy in the minor light she had provided for her camera. She had felt things shift within herself, had clearly felt an attraction there that had not been all that present since she had first heard of this boy.  
  
What was it about Saotome Ranma that had relit the flames of passion within her breast?  
  
She placed the mirror back into the desk while she wondered if she had been hanging around Kuno too much. She giggled slightly at that thought, savoring her reawakened feelings. She sat in the warm waters that had been her sea of ice and for the first time since her mother died, she wasn't afraid of being hurt.  
  
For the first time in years, she felt as free as the wind.  
  
It had been a long time coming, as her bottled up emotions were threatening to spill over for a while now. It had taken a daring action on her part to pull the stopper out of the bottle. Now that her emotions had been unleashed, she had no intention of ever fully bottling them up again.  
  
She sighed, thinking about what had made her lose control like she did that night....  
  
- -  
  
Ranma had successfully pulled the upset win over Kuno Kodachi in Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics. It was a stunning feat for someone who had only trained in the art for a handful of hours before the event. It was simply amazing that someone was that adept at learning how to fight.  
  
Nabiki, as well as the rest of Nerima, was just now learning of the abilities that had seen Ranma through the ten-year training trip.  
  
She had been impressed with his, at the time her, ability to fight despite not sleeping a wink before the event. She found herself in stark admiration of the aquatransexual martial artist, something she was new to feeling. After she had shaken the unfamiliar feeling from herself, she had decided it was time for a few more onna-Ranma pictures.  
  
After all, people would want a picture of the girl who had defeated Kodachi at the Black Rose's own game.  
  
So here she was, in Ranma's room with her camera, a cup of water, a kettle of hot water, and a small hand lamp for lighting so she could get some good shots of onna-Ranma. She had closed the door, necessitating her need for the lamp, as Akane had stepped up her patrol to catch Nabiki taking photos of her or Ranma. She set up the lamp, bathing the room in a soft light that was just perfect for taking pictures.  
  
She picked up the glass of cold water, ready to douse Ranma with it, when something had given her pause. She looked at Ranma, really looked at him, and found her eyes roaming over his unconscious form. She felt a strange sense of warmth wash over her, causing her body to lock up slightly. She commanded her body to move, only to find herself rooted to the spot, eyes locked on the pig-tailed boy.  
  
She set the glass aside and drifted down to her knees, as though to get a closer look. Awash in the dim light, Ranma had some sort of glow about him that gave him a more humble appearance than she knew possible. Her hands acted without her command, snaking out to touch the boy that could have been her fiancé. Her hands roamed over his muscled chest, feeling what she had given up those few weeks ago.  
  
She began feeling a soft warmth encompass her, as though the boy was a fire that existed only to warm her. She had not awakened the boy with her slight groping, she became emboldened in her actions. A mischievous smirk spreading across her face, she reached a hand up and gently stroked the boy's face. She felt the smooth yet rough contours of his face, her hand telling her more about the intimate details of his face than her eyes ever could.  
  
'What the hell am I doing,' she thought idly, 'What the hell is wrong with me?' Slowly, she pulled her hands away and let out a ragged sigh.  
  
Ranma chose that moment to rollover onto his left arm, placing his back to Nabiki and effectively scaring the hell out of her. She sat listening to him breathe for a few seconds before she realized he wasn't awake, at which point she started breathing again. She began to wonder yet again what in all nine levels of hell had possessed her to effectively grope Ranma in his sleep.  
  
Ranma once again tossed in his sleep, startling Nabiki yet again by his sudden movement. She looked over the boy, who was once again on his back, her mental protests fading as her attention was soon cemented on his prone form. Her eyes continued to rove his body, taking in all sorts of visual goodies until her eyes rested upon his lips.  
  
The world around her seemed to fade away as she thought about what it would have been like to have been his fiancée. A small, yet very vocal, part of her wondered just why she gave up on that notion so quickly. She dismissed the thought, deciding that it was useless to dwell on the past. Her mind wandered aimlessly as she continued to stare.  
  
'Kiss him,' came a silent command, one that she felt that she should comply with.  
  
'What the hell,' she thought, 'One little kiss won't hurt anything, besides no one else will know.' She took a deep breath, trying to relax herself as her heart began to beat faster. She leaned forward slowly, puckering her lips as she went. She hurriedly lowered her face to Ranma's in an effort to get it done before hesitation set in and robbed her of this moment.  
  
Her lips were firmly pressed to his, the emotions she had bottled up the past ten years were finally uncorked. As she reveled in the feel of her lips against his, she keenly felt the cracks form in her mask of ice. She finally reminded herself that if she wasn't careful, she would wake up Ranma. With a grunt of displeasure, she reluctantly disengaged herself from the sleeping boy's lips. Once she was back up to her normal seated height, she stared down at him again, her mind on what it would have been like once more.  
  
She sighed and gathered her materials and silently padded from the room, her mind a mess from all that had happened.  
  
- -  
  
Nabiki sighed as she remembered the events of that day. It was strange for her to lose control like that, especially since there had been no warning of it beforehand. There had be that strange feeling, that odd sensation of compulsion that had commanded her to do that. She decided to start on her homework, hoping to distract herself from an endless barrage of Ranma.  
  
Not that she minded, just that thinking about him too much would hurt her grades.  
  
After about an hour's worth of homework, Nabiki's mind drifted once more to the pig-tailed martial artist. She set down her pencil so she could think without chewing on the end. The more she thought of her future, the more Ranma was involved in her plans for it. No longer did she dream about solely being a wealthy CEO of some company, now it was also being a martial artist's wife. It surprised her at how easy she had slid into that particular way of thinking, but she wasn't against the notion.  
  
After all, if things worked out with Ranma, then that's what she would be.  
  
She shoved that from her mind and concentrated on how she would break it to Akane that she was in- that she liked her fiancé a whole lot. It wouldn't go well, of that she was certain, as Akane's mind often seemed to change itself once she had made it. The pain this was certain to cause her baby sister wasn't an appealing venture, but if things worked out, then it was inevitable.  
  
Once more, she let out a deep, painful sigh that carried the weight of her varying emotions. It was almost more than she could handle, as she was never one to worry about others once she set her sights on something. But she cared about her little sister enough to try and soften the blow as much as she could, should Ranma decide to be with her over Akane.  
  
Her mind wandered back to how she had thought of everything before the incident, and was shocked at how naïve she had been. Her mindset, as well as everyone else's in the house, had been to simply ignore all the fights and tell herself that they'd just get together in the end, despite all their fussing. She compared with how she thought of their fights now and realized that the detached hope had been replaced by a harden cynicism.  
  
She decided that she had thought enough for this night. She got ready for bed, her mind teased her by fantasizing about Ranma being there with her in the same bed. She blushed a bit as her thoughts turned naughty on her and she hurriedly turned off the lights and tried to go to sleep.  
  
Akane blinked next door and decided that she would have to ask her older sister about those noises in the morning....  
  
- -  
  
Elsewhere, the pig-tailed object of Nabiki's deliberation was awake, unable to sleep. He tossed and turned for what seemed like forever, but in reality it had only been a few minutes since he had laid down. With a frustrated grunt, Ranma sat up on his futon, mentally cursing his mind for not allowing him to sleep.  
  
'Damn, why can't I sleep?' He mentally asked himself, deciding that he couldn't risk anyone over hearing what he might say.  
  
Of course he knew why he couldn't sleep, his mind was on Akane and Nabiki. Thoughts of his feelings for either one of them invaded every facet of his sleep. He hadn't been able to nap in class all that well because of all the rampant images that flashed through his mind.  
  
The more troubling thing was that most of the images were of Nabiki.  
  
He considered her a friend, but just how deep that was, he didn't know. He wasn't quite sure what it all meant, but he knew that his thoughts were more than just friendly about Nabiki. His confusing thoughts caused Ranma great distress as he tried not mumble anything about Nabiki while seated next to Akane, his ill-tempered fiancée.  
  
He sighed, wishing his mind would give him peace so that he could sleep.  
  
Unbidden, an image flashed to front of his mind, one that had caused Ranma to fall out of his seat during English. It was an image of a nude Nabiki, who had covered herself up, trapped behind a wall of ice. He wondered just where he got the image from, and just why was he dreaming of it?  
  
It was all so confusing.  
  
He thought on all the changes that had happened recently, more specifically the changes that Nabiki had gone through. He wondered why he had accepted what Nabiki had been doing without question. The answer was vague, if anything at all. 'She opened herself to me,' he surmised, 'and maybe I just felt like doing the same.'  
  
It was almost like talking to his father, the answer had left more questions in its wake instead of silencing them all.  
  
Akane was an entire matter altogether, though. While he had been trying his hardest to make it work, something seemed to hold him back from truly giving his all to the engagement. He felt somewhat bad about his lack of attention to her, but he figured it was for the best that they avoid each other for a while.  
  
After all, the chaos only appeared when they tried to form something about their relationship.  
  
He thought back to the skate wrestling match. He remembered explicitly what he had said that day, but he wasn't sure he meant it. He thought of Akane's reaction to what he had said, and wondered if she had frozen because he might not have meant it...  
  
- -  
  
Ranma had just scored a glancing blow on Mikado, bringing the serial kisser to his knees. He caught Akane on the run but couldn't stop and did a spectacular flip that served to dazzle the crowd and scare the hell out of both of them. After regaining his composure, he turned to face Mikado again.  
  
"To think," the tall boy mused, "that anyone could bring Sanzenin Mikado to his knees!"  
  
'Why are you getting so upset over what Sanzenin does?' a voice asked in his head.  
  
Ranma blinked at the presence's sudden inquiry. It had been floating around in his head, offering him advice on several things, though it rarely questioned what he did. It was a surprise to the boy, whom had come to see this ghost voice as a blessing.  
  
'Well, are you going to answer my question or not?' the voice groused, miffed that Ranma had failed to answer it.  
  
Ranma ignored the voice and said aloud, "The next time you pull that with Akane, I'll do more than bring you to your knees!"  
  
'Please Saotome, if you are going to lie, try to be a little more convincing?' the voice pleaded, wishing that it had more time to cultivate the boy.  
  
'Be quiet, I don't have time for lectures,' he mentally replied, nearly missing Mikado's retort.  
  
"Oh," the arrogant boy asked, "And just what will you do?"  
  
'Punch him a bunch of times, and then some more if that doesn't work?' the voice jokingly supplied.  
  
'This isn't the time for jokes,' he mentally admonished the voice, before he said aloud, "I'll bring you straight to your coffin!"  
  
'That could work, but how do you plan on being the best martial artist in the world in jail?' the voice asked curiously.  
  
'You have a point there, but I gotta focus,' he replied, before he yelled aloud, "Got it? Akane is my fiancée, lay a lip on her and I'll kill you!"  
  
The crowd exploded into frenzied conversation about what Ranma had said. Mikado wore a bemused expression on his face, as though he considered such a proclamation a joke. The standoff was on, as everyone on the ice seemed to have taken a time out.  
  
Akane looked totally shocked and thoroughly embarrassed by his proclamation. That served to confuse Ranma, as he thought she could at least do something other then stare blankly. Before he could ask her what her problem was, he heard Mikado laughing and snapped his attention back to the lecher.  
  
"Your fiancée huh?" Mikado asked in amusement. "Such bonds are fragile."  
  
Azusa skated up and stuck her tongue out at them while Mikado cracked his knuckles and chuckled. "I shall do all in my power," he intoned, "to shatter those bonds!"  
  
Akane still looked out of it, though the obvious question was in her eyes. 'How can she think I didn't mean that?' Ranma thought to himself.  
  
'Because you didn't, Saotome,' the voice answered, making its doubts known.  
  
'How do you know?' Ranma mentally retorted.  
  
'Simple, she wouldn't be stunned by such a proclamation if you had meant it,' the voice replied soothingly, 'It's easy to doubt you. Besides, if your fathers had heard that, you'd be married by sundown.'  
  
Ranma inadvertently shivered at this, causing Mikado to chuckle even further. Azusa giggled further, and Ranma could practically see visions of her playing with Charlotte dancing through her mind. Ranma affixed a hard stare at Mikado, hoping to cover his slip.  
  
Mikado's arrogant smirk increased at the sight of Ranma's quaking. His doubt was clearly displayed as he said, "Heh, you are very brave... in your words! But we, Skating's "Golden Pair", are known by another name!"  
  
Mikado skated forward and Azusa jumped on his back. Mikado smirked and proclaimed, "The Anti-Matchmakers!"  
  
"This is it," the announcer proclaimed, "Sanzenin Mikado's and Shiratori Azusa's ultimate move, the Couple Cleaver!!"  
  
"Not a single pair we've faced," Mikado began.  
  
"Has ever not been split up by us!" Azusa cheerily finished.  
  
'Watch it, Saotome,' the voice cautioned, 'this is a very dangerous move.'  
  
"Don't be so cocky," Ranma yelled, "Let's go Akane!"  
  
"R-right," Akane stammered, obviously trying to get over the shock of what just happened.  
  
Ranma and Akane went for a double jump kick at Azusa on Mikado's back. Mikado ducked and Azusa hopped over the attack with practiced ease. Mikado snagged Ranma's leg, which cause him to let go of Akane, who then skated up the ice. Azusa pounced on the suspended Ranma and kissed him on the nose.  
  
"Huh?" Ranma asked, clearly expecting something more painful.  
  
Akane turned and growled at the sight. "What?!" she roared, and skated forward, "What do you think you're doing?" As she closed in, she muttered, "Maybe he was lying¼"  
  
With Ranma befuddled, Azusa gleefully shouted, "An opening!" She slipped down between his legs and tripped him.  
  
"Yow!" Ranma hollered as the ice approached at a high speed.  
  
'Now she'll grab your hands,' the voice predicted.  
  
Akane did as the voice predicted, and the two found themselves hauled into the air.  
  
"There it is," the announcer screamed, "The terrible Couple Cleaver!   
  
  
  
"The Goodbye Whirl!" Mikado roared as he began to spin at an insane speed.  
  
Ranma struggled to hang on to Akane, stretched out like he was at the moment.  
  
'Let her go, Saotome,' the voice gently said, 'You'll only hurt her more if you hang on to her.'  
  
"Release her and I'll stop spinning!" Mikado demanded at the same time.  
  
'What?!' Ranma mentally balked, then hollered down at Mikado, "What did you say?!"  
  
"Let go Ranma," Akane implored, not caring of the consequences.  
  
"You dope, you'll fly into the wall!" Ranma shouted back.  
  
'No she won't, Sanzenin will skate under her and catch her, then kiss her.' the voice said, worry evident in its tone.  
  
'How can you be so sure?' Ranma asked back.  
  
'Because Sanzenin gets off on playing the dashing hero,' the voice answered.  
  
"If he betrays his partner and let's her go," the announcer intoned, "he alone will be spared!"   
  
P-chan struggled against the chain at this proclamation, trying to get free to save Akane, though how a little black pig could do that was anyone's guess. The crowd was breathless in anticipation for what would happen next. Would he let her go, or would he find some way to foil the Goodbye Whirl?  
  
"Never mind that," Akane demanded, "Let GO!"  
  
'Let her go,' the voice implored, 'If you care about her as much as you say you do, let her go.'  
  
'I won't,' he mentally retorted.  
  
'Saotome,' the voice pleaded.  
  
'I WON'T!' he mentally screamed, meaning it with every fiber of his being.  
  
'Oh, you poor sweet fool,' the voice quietly answered, almost too low for Ranma to hear.  
  
He yelled at Akane, "Idiot! You think I'd let go after hearing that?!"  
  
"Heh," Mikado laughed dismissively, "The more you trust each other, the greater the shock when he finally lets go of you!"  
  
He picked up his speed, trying to get Ranma to let go. "The couple caught in the Goodbye Whirl," he intoned, "is doomed to disaster!"  
  
'If only you'd let go, you'd see there is no need for concern,' the voice said soothingly.  
  
'GO TO HELL!' Ranma yelled back at the voice.  
  
'No need for that,' the voice answered back.  
  
"D-don't let him manipulate you!" Akane yelled, trying a different avenue to try and get Ranma to let go. "I'll be fine, just let me-"  
  
"You moron!" Ranma interrupted, "You think I'm going to let a ditz like you fly off by herself?!"  
  
'You should, she'll be just fine,' the voice insisted, hoping to advert the coming disaster.  
  
'I'm not listening to you!' Ranma mentally shouted back.  
  
"What," Akane growled, "did you call me?!"  
  
"Ooo," Azusa said, "Widdle Azusa all wore out!"  
  
'Oh lord, here it comes!' the voice shouted.  
  
"Ooo," Azusa screamed, "I can't hold on!" With that, she let go.  
  
Akane screamed, the crowd did so as well. The two rocketed towards the nearest wall at a terrifying speed. Akane screamed again as she saw the wall coming up behind her. Her terror filled eyes locked into Ranma, leaving him little choice in his next action.  
  
'Brace for impact!' the voice cried.  
  
Ranma flipped himself over Akane at seemingly the last instant. He closed his eyes and collided with the wall with a mighty crash that echoed throught out the gymnasium. The pair slumped to the ground, his hands still holding hers.  
  
"He never let go of her hands," the announcer shouted as the crowd behind him went nuts. "They foiled the Goodbye Whirl!" The announcer paused to take a deep breath before he continued, "But they've paid the price! Will Saotome Ranma rise again?"  
  
Akane began to check on Ranma, not paying attention as the crowd began to murmur. She continued to check on him, her worry and fear beginning to grip her tight. The crowd fell silent as she continued checking him.  
  
"Clown! Show-off!" Akane scolded, "You didn't have to go this far!"  
  
Ranma didn't respond, as he just laid still with his eyes closed. There were no signs of him breathing which caused a guilty feeling to run along Akane's spine. She tried to dismiss the fear and dread, but found she couldn't.  
  
'Hmmm¼' the voice observed, 'she looks rather guilty about something. Poor girl must be scared witless right now.'  
  
"Ranma..?" she asked gently, hoping he would wake up. "Ranma!" she cried, a little more frantic.  
  
"Every bone is his body must have been crushed!" Mikado observed as the crowd began to murmur again.  
  
"Nothing human could survive that!" Azusa agreed, her hands brought to her face in a show of concern.  
  
"All for my sake¼" Akane muttered as tears began to form and she didn't stop them.  
  
Ranma looked up at the lights from his position on the ice. His body was wracked with pain, as such he was barely aware of his surroundings. He felt a weight on his chest and slowly cocked his head to see Akane hunched over his chest.  
  
"WWAAAAHHH! RANMA, YOU FOOL!!" Akane screamed, burying her face into his chest and crying.  
  
'If that's how she feels then...' he thought, before he sat up and snapped, "Hey, wait a minute, can't you at least say thank you?"  
  
Akane's eyes shot open and she turned a tear tracked face up at him. He felt a slight stab of guilt for causing her such pain but he pushed it from his mind. He glared down at her for a few seconds more, wondering why he was so mad at her.  
  
"So. Tricking me," she said numbly.  
  
"Now who's the fool?" Ranma asked flippantly.  
  
'You are,' the voice answered.  
  
'Who asked you?' Ranma thought back.  
  
'Nobody, but look at how she is now, did you think she couldn't fend Mikado off on her own?' the voice asked, trying not to lay on the guilt too much.  
  
'But if I let her go-' Ranma started.  
  
'Mikado would have skated under her and caught her. You could then easily have flipped Azusa off of you, then skated up to stop him,' the voice interjected before Ranma could conjure the image of Akane laying broken against the wall.  
  
'Maybe you're right,' Ranma agreed, his brain shaking of the effects of the blow.  
  
"I was worried about you!!" Akane shouted as Ranma moved to kip up to his feet.  
  
"Hmmph," Ranma said dismissively, "You think I could be wiped out by that?" He kipped up to his feet and every joint in his body popped, causing him to freeze in pain while Akane looked on is disbelief.  
  
'It sure looks that way, Saotome.' the voice quipped.  
  
'Bah,' Ranma mentally shot back, unable to think of something witty with his body racked with pain.  
  
"So," Mikado said plainly, "You stood up eh?"  
  
"The.... fight's.... just.... startin'." Ranma replied haltingly, trying to ignore his body's continued protest.  
  
"And the match resumes," the announcer said in plain wonderment, "The Charlotte Cup, fought over a pet pig- - Who will bring home the bacon?!" The announcer paused to look at the trophy and saw that the pig was gone. "What?!" he blustered, not sure how a pig got free from the chain.  
  
"Hey...." one student started.  
  
"The pig is gone..." another finished.  
  
"Charlotte?" gasped Azusa.  
  
As the crowd speculated whether someone else had nabbed the pig, Ryoga crept along the rafters high above the gymnasium. He laughed to himself, "Thank you to whoever spilt their tea on me." He looked down at the ice, a devious smirk on his face.  
  
"You can't do this in your condition!" Akane shrieked at Ranma, who was barely standing upright.  
  
'She's right, you know,' the voice interjected again.  
  
"Shut up," Ranma snapped, ignoring the voice, "I'm gonna beat that lousy pervert to a pulp!"  
  
"My thoughts precisely," Mikado said, "I will not have you withdraw from this fight..." He started to skate forward before he continued, "...Not until, as promised, I have stolen Tendo Akane's lips!"  
  
"My Charlotte's gone!" Azusa screamed, grabbing Mikado's legs, causing him to fall flat on his face.  
  
"What are you doing, you stupid girl?!" Mikado roared as he climbed to his feet.  
  
"Find my Charwotte!" she shrieked, eyes edged with tears.  
  
Akane skated over to Ranma and flicked him with her index finger. This had the inevitable consequence of sending Ranma crashing back to the ice. He struggled to stand, but found he could not.  
  
"Wh-what are you doing?" Ranma demanded, trying his best to hide his embarrassment.  
  
"Don't push yourself!" Akane hollered back, grasping his hand. "Please..."  
  
"Uh..." Ranma uttered, not sure how to reply.  
  
'I told you she would be more hurt be you not letting go.' the voice said gently.  
  
Ranma ignored the voice and stared up at Akane as she continued to hold his hand. They stayed like that for another few seconds, before the lights went out. The audience exploded into excited chatter as the darkness closed in around them.  
  
"A blackout?!" one shouted in slight terror.  
  
"Somebody cut off the power!" another replied, "I thought I heard someone flip the power switch!"  
  
"Sit back and watch..... little girl!" a familiar male voice called from above, as water splashed Ranma in the dark. "Now Akane, pair up with me and- -" Ryoga said, as he grabbed who he thought was Akane.  
  
The lights came back and revealed a wet and angry onna-Ranma was the one Ryoga grabbed. He stared in disbelief, though how he thought he could accurately grab Akane in total darkness is anyone's guess. Akane stood off to the side, wondering what the hell happened.  
  
'What an idiot,' Ranma thought to herself, 'and right when things were getting good too!'  
  
'Can you really say that she was more upset at what happened to you instead of losing the match?' the voice asked, hoping to keep him from any potential emotional injuries later.  
  
'She was crying wasn't she?' Ranma thought back.  
  
'Can you say for certain that those tears were all for you and not for her losing her precious P-chan?' the voice asked, again voicing Ranma's own doubts back to him.  
  
'No.. no, I can't," Ranma conceded sourly, 'it don't mean I can't pretend right?'  
  
'That's an admirable trait you have, Saotome, you try to turn any negative into a positive,' the voice replied, a slight trace of admiration in its tone.  
  
"Wait," the announcer gasped, "What's this? Furinkan High has slipped in a substitute pair!" The crowd began to murmur yet again at this, wondering just where this new pair had come from.  
  
"What are YOU doing here?" Ryoga snarled, bopping Ranma on top of her head with a fist,  
  
"YOU dragged me out here!" Ranma replied, responding in kind with a hit of her own.  
  
"The girl with the pigtail...." Mikado gasped, "The girl who so innocently accepted my kiss."  
  
"Oh!" exclaimed Mikado in a falsetto approximation of onna-Ranma's voice, "To think that my first kiss would be with THE Sanzenin Mikado!"  
  
"Wait!" Mikado cried, "Please!"  
  
"EEEE!" he cried in his onna-Ranma falsetto , "I'm so happy!"  
  
"Cut the lies, Jack!" the real Ranma yelled, hitting Mikado hard on top of his head.  
  
"I am so glad we have met again." Mikado said, attempting to take Ranma's hand.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Ranma snapped, yanking her hand away from Mikado. She skated back from Mikado and stood next to Ryoga. "Well then, let's get on with the match."  
  
"Hold it, Ranma," Ryoga said as he belted her in the back of the head.  
  
"What was that for?!" Ranma growled at Ryoga, having turned her head to face him.  
  
And so it had quickly degenerated to a wild brawl from there, as Ryoga stretched Ranma in an attempt to get her to step aside. Of course the crowd had voiced its dissenting opinion to the fashion of the "new" Furinkan pair, leading to a quick outfit change for the two. After that, it really got out of hand, as there was still a mix-up about who would pair with who.  
  
Eventually, Ranma and Ryoga got caught in a goodbye whirl that demonstrated that the voice had been correct in its guess that Mikado would have simply skated under Akane if he had let her go. Ranma quickly scrambled out of Mikado's vile clutches to avoid getting yet another kiss by the lecherous baka. She skated over to the prone Ryoga and gave him a smack on the head to wake him up.  
  
Ryoga, clearly ticked off about his inability to skate and being pile driven face first into the ice, smashed a fist into it, which in turn caused it to shatter into a bunch of floes. Afraid of going pig in front of Akane, Ryoga laid down a challenge to Ranma that the first one to lose gives up Akane. It was just another situation where you have to ask if Ryoga's head is screwed on straight.  
  
As if Saotome Ranma would lose to him.  
  
"What a turn of events!" The announcer shouted, "A skating match becomes a battle on the ice floes! One false step- and the icy water awaits!"  
  
"Dear Akane," Ryoga said loud enough for Ranma to overhear, "Will I plunge into the water and turn into a pig before your very eyes? Or will I become the champion and hold you in my arms? It can only be one or the other!"  
  
'Dunno what he's thinking,' Ranma thought as she glanced at Ryoga, 'but I can't let him get Akane.'  
  
'Well, I suppose that he seems to think beating you up will get him Akane,' the voice answered. 'But why can't you let him have Akane?'  
  
'Because he challenged me!' Ranma thought in annoyance.  
  
'That isn't that good of a reason y'know?' the voice said off-handedly.  
  
'I'm gonna win this-huh?' she thought, as Ryoga hefted her into the air with a single hand.  
  
"The last one left standing...." Ryoga growled, "must be me!" With that, he hurled Ranma towards Mikado and Azusa.  
  
"Ryoga," Ranma yelled, "what do you think you're doing?!"  
  
'Well he did say that the first one to fall will give up Akane,' the voice supplied helpfully.  
  
'Why that lousy jerk!' Ranma thought angrily. 'I had thought that he'd at least help me eliminate Mikado, but I guess I was wrong.'   
  
'Aren't you always?' the voice asked, unable to resist making light of it.  
  
'.....Shaddup.' Ranma snapped back, landing on her feet and facing the eternally lost boy once more.  
  
After that, all hell broke loose, as Ranma and Ryoga each hurled an ice boulder at each other. Ranma followed her ice boulder with a flying kick, which Ryoga took and caught, slamming her in turn into the ice. The ice then tipped over and spilt its passengers into the water, with Ryoga narrowly avoiding getting splashed.  
  
Just as Ranma was prepared to spit cold water on Ryoga, the lost boy got an unexpected assist from Mikado, who had booted him in the back of the head. Ryoga landed on his feet on another ice floe and promptly slipped and was pinned down by Mikado. That didn't last as an angry outburst by Ryoga sent Mikado skyward. Once he righted himself, Ryoga promptly resumed his attack on Ranma.  
  
He hefted an ice boulder and miraculously jumped with a huge chunk of ice, coming down towards his hated foe. Ranma easily shattered the boulder with a punch, but that proved to be a feint as Ryoga used the opportunity to suplex Ranma onto her head. It succeeded in knocking Ranma for a loop, as well as splitting the ice they were standing on in two.  
  
As they careened towards the water, they both executed the splits and escaped from the icy water. As Ryoga clamored up back to even ice, Azusa leapt on top of him, which in turned knocked him back on top of Ranma. As Ryoga huffed and puffed about being safe, Mikado was seen in the air, ready to deliver the final blow. After a quick prayer to Akane for strength, Ryoga hefted the two split halves of ice and sandwiched Mikado between them and hurled them away before leaping to safety as it all crashed down on poor Ranma's head.  
  
"I....won....." Ryoga panted, then looked at Akane and said, "Dear..... Akane...."  
  
Ranma erupted from the ice and latched onto Ryoga's leg and growled, "It's not over yet..."  
  
'No it's not,' agreed the voice.  
  
"I'd like to compliment you, Ranma," Ryoga said, "on your tenacity.... but instead.... I'm taking Akane!" As he said this, he reached down and grasped Ranma by her head, hefted her up and slammed her face first into the ice.  
  
"She's not a pet y'know," Ranma snarled, displaying her limberness as she managed to kick Ryoga off of her. "You think I'll just say, 'okay, take her.'?"  
  
The two stood off once again, as the crowd began speculating the fate of Mikado. Azusa approached Mikado, and found the blanket they were using to keep him warm cute. After he made the mistake of snatching it back, he was declared unable to continue because of the steel chair wrapped around his skull. The crowd broke into frenzied cheers that the Golden Pair had finally been defeated, then quieted to watch the brawl continue between Furinkan's substitute "pair."  
  
"Prepare yourself, sissy boy!" Ryoga snarled as he leapt at Ranma.  
  
"What did you call me, Pig?!" Ranma retorted in anger.  
  
"I won't leave Akane in the hands of a half-man like you!!" Ryoga yelled, kicking as he said it.  
  
"It's better'n being a hog!" Ranma snapped back, springing off the leg and wrapping her legs around Ryoga's head and pulling him towards the water. "This time you're going down!" she yelled, while Ryoga screamed in terror.  
  
An ice boulder came screeching out of nowhere, nailing Ryoga in the back of the head and skipping up to nail Ranma in the face. The two crashed on a nearby ice floe and looked towards the source of the unexpected attack. Akane was knelt down on the ice, arm in the position of having just thrown something.  
  
"Will you two cut this out?!" Akane demanded.  
  
"A-Akane?" Ryoga stuttered, wondering what had motivated her unexpected assist.  
  
"What the heck are you doin'?!" Ranma snapped angrily at her fiancée.  
  
"Why can't you two get along?!" Akane shouted back, anger at being present at another one of their petty squabbles.  
  
"Butt out!" Ranma shouted, hammering Ryoga to the ice to keep him from getting up. "This is our fight!"  
  
"Bu...butt out?" Akane asked slowly, her anger beginning to simmer. "What's it about anyway?! What are you fighting over?!"  
  
"That-" Ranma started, when Ryoga jammed her face into the ice to interrupt.  
  
"That," Ryoga said, while punching Ranma away, "we'll sit down and explain... after it's over!"  
  
"Wait a second..." Ranma shouted, leaping back towards Ryoga, "what do you mean 'sit down and explain'?!"  
  
"I said...." Akane growled, hefting an ice boulder, "stop this!" With that, she flung the boulder at Ranma, who barely avoided it.  
  
"An opening!" Ryoga roared triumphantly, kicking Ranma down to the ice floe Akane was situated on.  
  
"Hey," Akane squeaked, "hey."  
  
"The final blow!" Ryoga shouted, coming down in a kick that Ranma narrowly avoided.  
  
The kick split the ice, coincidentally right at the spot Akane was standing. She tried to avoid falling in the ice, even doing a semi-graceful flip before she finally fell in the water. The two combatants paused to watch the object of their current brawl flounder in the water.  
  
"Akane!!" Ryoga cried, starting to panic at what fate could befall his beloved.  
  
"The dope!" Ranma groused, "I told her to stay out of this!"  
  
As Akane continued floundering, it finally dawned on the two that she could be in serious trouble. Panic hit full tilt as she went under and didn't come back up. They stared in horror as a simple revelation set in for them.  
  
"Don't tell me...." Ryoga started, worry evident in his voice.  
  
"She can't swim!" Ranma finished in equal panic.  
  
"AKANE!!" Ryoga shouted, diving with Ranma towards the water without thinking.  
  
"Hey," Ranma said simply.  
  
"What?!" Ryoga snarled back in annoyance.  
  
"You sure about this?" she asked, as Ryoga seemed to pull back out of his dive and realize what he was doing.  
  
"Ah!" Ryoga screamed in naked terror, afraid that Akane would somehow see and roared, "Ah..... AKANE!!" He hit the water and changed to his pig form.  
  
Sometime later, Ranma sat in the med room, wrapped in a blanket and still female. She and Ryoga had managed to save Akane, but the voice was giving him no reprieve for his stupidity out there. It hadn't been enough that he had completely lost it out there, but the fact that he put Akane in severe danger for the sake of his foolish pride.  
  
'Are you certain that brawling wildly with Ryoga was the best course of action out there?' the voice asked gently.  
  
'What do you mean?' Ranma thought back, finally feeling a bit silly talking to a voice in her head.  
  
'I mean, just look at how close you two had come to severely hurting the girl you're both fighting over,' the voice replied, a tone of patience rather then anger evident.  
  
'What was I to do, just let him clobber me?' Ranma snapped back flippantly.  
  
'No, but you could have mentioned that now was not the time for you two to renew your rivalry,' the voice answered. 'Besides, do you think that Akane would like being a trophy for the two of you to be fighting over?'  
  
'I guess not,' Ranma thought dejectedly. 'Not like that jerk would've listened anyways.'  
  
'Well, how are you holding up, Saotome?' the voice asked, changing the subject.  
  
'I'm alright I guess, my back doesn't hurt all that much anymore.' Ranma thought back.  
  
'Not physically, how are you emotionally? You really stuck your neck out for Akane today and after a bit of a positive response, it kinda went south,' the voice explained , trying not to be too hard on the girl.  
  
'I guess I'm alright in that regards.... just why did she have to chuck the damn ice at me?' Ranma asked in slight dejection. 'I mean, I wouldn't have been fighting Ryoga if he hadn't challenged me.'  
  
'I.... I don't think you would like that answer, Ranma,' the voice said, sounding exasperated of the youngest Tendo's actions.  
  
'It's ok, I doubt I would like the answer to that either....' Ranma thought as she looked over and saw Akane beginning to stir...  
  
- -  
  
Ranma sighed, the weight of the pain once again seizing his heart. It was difficult enough being engaged to her, but he didn't need to add to his problems by starting to fall for Nabiki. He hoped that she wouldn't try to push herself on him and just be a friend to him. Maybe in time, once he could think of how he felt without pain, maybe he might give himself to either Tendo sister, but now was too soon.  
  
It was a hard decision to make, to be sure, but he was confident he could make it stick.  
  
He sighed once more, blowing out some of his pain with it. Now, how was he going to approach a friendship with Nabiki? After their talk the night before, Ranma had a general inkling of what she liked and disliked. He thought about things for a few minutes and he decided to give her a gift as a symbol of friendship.  
  
But what to get?  
  
He yawned then, his emotional fatigue finally catching up with him. He began to lay down, as his mind began to fog up on him. It came to him that he had no idea what to get Nabiki to celebrate their new friendship.  
  
He decided that he would ask Kasumi in the morning.  
  
- -  
  
In the abandoned Chinese restaurant that had become her home, Shampoo sat in deep meditation. On her mind was what had plagued her since she had left this cursed place the first time. She had thought about it and thought about it, but it still clouded her mind.  
  
What was she still doing here?  
  
She had tried to come up with an answer to satisfy her internal debate, but found none that would suffice. It was hard to quell the urge to go running back to China and return to her great-grandmother, who seemed to have an answer for everything. But she knew that something held her back, some mysterious presence that had cautioned her against going. She shivered slightly as she recalled an ancient practice of dunking an Amazon into Jusenkyo, then using something similar the Musk's Chiuston to lock them in that curse.  
  
Seldom were those curses human.  
  
She shoved that from her mind, lest the terror that had plagued her when she fled the Tendo compound seize her again. She stood tall and proud, even if inside she felt like an unmitigated coward and abject failure. She knew that she had made this bed and it was high time she got ready to sleep in it.  
  
If only she could figure out why.  
  
Sliding into a ready stance, Shampoo began a few Wu-Shu katas to work out the stiffness of her meditation. She knew that her physical aches would fade over time, but she knew the biggest ache of all would never leave her for a long time to come. In her heart, she knew that she was going to cause tremendous pain to her family back in Joketsuzoku. Her eyes narrowed as she thought of them, only around long enough to express how proud she made her ancestors.  
  
But never around long enough to allow Shampoo to feel human.  
  
She increased the speed of her katas, as anger over remembered loneliness bubbled to the surface. Her feet pounded out a gentle but furious tempo as she moved from one end of the floor to the other. The one friend that she had was nothing but a half-blind moron who was obsessed with her to the point of vexation.  
  
It was one of the pluses of her decision to banish herself.  
  
She wondered about how different her life would have been if she wasn't groomed to be her great-grandmother's heir. If she wasn't a warrior, what would she be? A cook like her father, or maybe she would have left Joketsuzoku behind for the wonders of the outside world, as many others before her had.  
  
But she was certain that her great-grandmother wouldn't allow her to do that.  
  
She slid to a stop, drawing herself up in her ready stance again. She quietly surveyed the floor, as ghost images of people dining there while she served them manifested. It came as a small shock to the girl who usually dreamed of such big things that she found herself craving something so mundane and simple.  
  
It also disgusted her to her very core.  
  
She let loose with an angry snarl as she pulled her bonbori from weapon space. She surveyed the area, the background fading to show Joketsuzoku. Tears welled in her eyes as she remembered that she no longer had a home, nor did she have a family. It was her choice to choose banishment, so why did she choose it?  
  
She would find out why, or just give up this foolish stand-off.  
  
She started her favorite bonbori kata, flowing like water through the movements. The inhuman grace and underlying sorrow of her kata created an atmosphere of depression, like a warrior preparing for her final battle. Her thoughts drifted back to Ranma, the impressive male warrior who had enticed her so with just the hint of his presence. She had the beauty and grace of a living goddess, it should have been easy to grab any man she wanted.  
  
But she couldn't get the one who mattered the most to her.  
  
Her thoughts drifted towards the Amazon method of snaring an outsider husband, an unintentionally dark look crossing her lovely features. The incongruity of her upbringing flared through her mind at that moment, a mysterious sensation washing through her brain. Males were inferior within the Matriarchal society of Joketsuzoku, not even having a say in the affairs of the village. But if an outsider male were to get lucky enough to defeat an Amazon, he suddenly was raised upon a pedestal and worshipped as though a god.  
  
It was this kind of backwards logic that had her vexed over the whole situation.  
  
It also gave her pause, as she had never really minded it in the first place. As she pondered this, her movements slowed to a stop. She peered cautiously around, as she felt another presence, but couldn't locate it. She figured that it was probably her great-grandmother finding some way of spying on her.  
  
She did her best to hide her shudder of fear at that thought.  
  
It wasn't due to the fact that her great-grandmother was an awful person, far from it. It was just the fact that three hundred years of life had run her patience with Shampoo thin. She may have been a slave driver in training her, but she wasn't going to begrudge the ancient woman anything for how she was raised.  
  
For the Amazonian Matriarch, she held nothing but the deepest respect.  
  
She sighed heavily and returned her bonbori to weapon space. Her answered lied in the fact that many of her peers were discouraged from giving the Kiss of Death, for fear that the outside world entice them into giving up their heritage. She wanted to broaden her horizons a bit, to learn about this foreign place. She hoped that she could maybe negotiate a temporary banishment from Joketsuzoku, in order to be able to return once more.  
  
She breathed heavily and blew out the candles that served as the lights for the room. She curled up in a kittenish manner, deciding that tomorrow was a good day to begin her exploration of this land. She sighed once more, hoping that she could come up with a plan to deflect her great-grandmother's wrath.  
  
Unbeknownst to Shampoo, a small blue light flew from her head, stealthfully making its way across Nerima once more. It shimmered brightly as it passed over head, as though it recognized the landscape. It continued on its silent mission, looking as nothing more then a passing airplane to those who happened to look upon it.  
  
It could not stop though, as it still had more missions to complete.  
  
- -  
  
Back at the Tendo compound, Tendo Soun was another of the unfortunate tenants who could not sleep. But his reason for the lack of sleep had more to do with the fact that he wasn't the least bit tired instead of being troubled. He was filled with the same youthful vigor that coursed through him in his youth.  
  
It was as though he had been reborn.  
  
For the past ten years, he went to bed with an overwhelming amount of sorrow and guilt. He would wake up lethargic, his passion for the art that had been his life dulled to a mere flicker. But a few weeks ago, he had a dream that had chased away his pain and fatigue, leaving the man who was once renown for his courage and compassion.  
  
He had dreamed of his long dead beloved.  
  
That is not to say he hadn't dreamed of her before that point, far from it. The difference between his old regretful fantasies and this new dream was that he had felt her there, had felt her love and warmth as clearly as though she was in the bed with him. His spirit had returned in full from then on, his tears banished by that memory of love.  
  
The sun had come out after a long absence.  
  
As it were, Soun was headed to the dojo to seriously practice his art for the first time in years. His technique had fallen off a bit and he decided to make use of this renewed vigor to help correct that error. Once he had arrived in the dojo, he looked around the room, an odd warmth encompassing him as memories of the past began to take shape throughout the room.  
  
He knew now, almost more than anything, that he missed teaching the most.  
  
His eyes began to moisten, but these were not the great fountains of old, they were just the simple tears of a humble man. He knew he had neglected his parental duties, but he still had the chance to be the father he should have been. Kasumi had already shown signs of leaving her oblivious shell behind, something that filled him with great joy and even greater dread. He knew that he should be happy that Kasumi was ready to go out and find herself something more meaningful than taking care of her sisters and himself.  
  
But he just couldn't.  
  
He slowly took a ready stance, savoring the last few moments of inactivity before he would begin. His mind was mostly clear, with a few stray clouds of worry for his eldest child. Over the past few days she had seem to have changed from the oblivious mother figure to a young woman ready to seize the world by the horns. He began a basic kata, hoping to thrust out his worry for her well being.  
  
After all, she was a grown woman.  
  
With a quiet growl, Soun seamlessly shifted up to the more advanced katas of the Tendo-ryu. He knew that he had no real place to try and hold her back from pursuing a life of her own, as she had sacrificed so much for this family already. But in spite of that fact, he did not want to worry about Kasumi being out late, worry about her getting hurt in anyway. He sighed bodily and slowed down his katas, lest he harm himself and cause undue stress for his eldest child.  
  
Now, on to other matters that were of concern to him.  
  
He had noticed the subtle shift in Nabiki, the seeming disappearance of coldness that had suddenly and swiftly come. He was confused and relieved by it at the same time. He was afraid his middle daughter would grow old and die alone, and if her recent shift in attitude was any indication, that wasn't going to happen.  
  
And for that, he was immensely glad.  
  
He also noted the budding relationship between Ranma and Nabiki and was at a loss to figure out what had triggered it. It was as though they had suddenly been drawn to each other, despite the fact that Nabiki had shown little to no interest in the Saotome heir until recently. It baffled him to think of the reason for her sudden change of heart, but he wasn't going to worry too much about it. Nabiki was a big girl, she didn't need her father to protect her.  
  
Now why did that thought inspire such deep sadness?  
  
Deciding that it was better to not think about, Soun turned his attention to his youngest. She had changed the least of the three, though she seemed to be withdrawing into herself. He never could understand what went on in her head sometimes, no matter how hard he tried. It was very puzzling to him, as she generally wore her emotions on her sleeve and he could often tell her opinion on something before she uttered a word.  
  
He just hoped that all of his daughters would be happy.  
  
He wound down his katas, fatigue finally settling into his bones. He was satisfied with himself, finally feeling worthy of being the father of such wonderful girls. As he headed to bed, his mind couldn't help but wonder what his late wife would think of this.  
  
But somehow, he already knew.  
  
- -  
  
Up in her room, Akane was yet another unfortunate victim of insomnia. As much as she tried, she could not sleep, seemingly in spite of the fact that she had greatly fatigued herself breaking blocks in the dojo earlier. It frustrated her to no end that she could not sleep, as she had no desire to ponder what was on her mind. She would have tried mediation, but she doubted that she had enough patience to sit still. Besides, her thoughts wouldn't be all that calming anyways.  
  
Why did it all have to be so damned confusing?  
  
With a disgusted sigh, Akane sat up in bed. She had been avoiding this, as she instinctively knew that the answers would piss her off to no end. It was an unavoidable frustration and a subject of great pain and personal vexation.  
  
Of course it had to be a certain pig tailed aquatransexual who seemed destined to hurt her.  
  
She knew on an intellectual level that Ranma's words and actions only hurt her because she took exception to them. It really wasn't all that fair of her to strike him simply because he spoke a harsh truth. But then again, she expected him to be smart enough to keep his mouth shut after the first few times she walloped him.  
  
But then, she supposed, that was part of his charm.  
  
It was one of the qualities that she actually found admirable in the Saotome boy. He always had a knack of saying the wrong thing, yes, but at least he would say what some other people were afraid to say. She knew she was far from the most attractive girl, which is what confused her so much about the horde of hentai. She was around average in looks, her figure didn't exactly merit lusting over by her own humble admission.  
  
Which, as always, was Kuno's fault.  
  
Before that stupid speech of Kuno's, she had been a moderately popular girl, pursued no more or less then the other girls. In fact, before the speech she had wondered if there might have been something wrong with her because she didn't receive as many date requests as some of the other girls. Not that she would have accepted any of them, it would have been nice to know she was desirable to somebody.  
  
Her failure to capture a certain doctor's attention flashed through her mind.  
  
Pushing that aside, Akane thought about how it had made her feel at first. She had been a little shocked by Kuno's attention, especially since she was a year younger than him and didn't think a snob like him noticed anyone who didn't pass in front of his face daily. After the first week though, it had quickly spiraled out of control and had ceased to be amusing.  
  
It didn't help that all these boys seemed to have become masochists over night.  
  
But then, she mused, calling Kuno masochistic was like saying a full grown elephant was heavy. She would almost be willing to bet money that he would go into orgasmic ecstasy if she hit him the face with a spitball. It was the chief factor that had lead to her classifying all boys as perverts, better to condemn them all and be proven wrong, than to be ignorant and proven right.  
  
Now what was it about Ranma that so drew her in and made her want to be with him and completely beat him senseless at the same time?  
  
She began to recall the first time Ranma had appeared. Ranma had been in his girl form and looked extremely lonely and lost, to the point that she had hidden herself in an effort to prevent them from finding out she was a girl. She had felt such empathy for the strange girl, because she felt that maybe this girl had been hounded for her body and was ashamed just to be female. After her father's fainting spell and Nabiki's anger, Akane decided to befriend this wayward girl and draw her out from her shell.  
  
It was the least she could do for her.  
  
When she lost the match, it had taken a lot of willpower not to shout and accuse the girl of cheating. After all, she was trying to be the girl's friend and didn't need to alienate the rather timid girl. Deciding to go with tact for once, she good naturedly jested with the girl about her not being a boy. Once she had finished there, she went to her room to get ready for her bath. Once she had made it there and undressed, she slid the bathroom door open, hoping for a little girl talk with the newcomer.  
  
Instead she saw him, ALL of him, and her friend nowhere to be found.  
  
Then had come the unveiling of Ranma's curse. At first, she had thought that he had somehow managed to chase her new friend off, though there was nowhere for the girl to have run out of in the bathroom except the door. Then came the fact that he WAS the red haired girl, she had assumed the very worst about things. She had thought that Ranma had spied on her to learn about her aversion to males, then got that stupid curse just to use his girl side to get close to her.  
  
It was a preposterous accusation, even by her standards.  
  
Akane sighed bodily, sorrow and pain escaping her body for her treatment of Ranma so far. After all, he was her fiancé, she really should try to get along with him better. She then snorted at that line of thought, which had caused her mix-up in the first place. She wasn't sure just why she wanted to honor the engagement, maybe so she wouldn't have to actually play the field so to say.  
  
She wasn't all that good at attracting those she really wanted after all.  
  
Of course, it didn't help that he infuriated her to the point where she wanted to beat him senseless and yet want to glomp onto him with a grip that would make Shampoo jealous. She was so confused around him, she couldn't make up her mind around the pig-tailed boy for the life of her. She did want to beat him in a match to prove she was better then him, but then what would drive her to train any harder if she beat someone as skilled as Ranma?  
  
She hoped that she would not grow lax if that happened.  
  
She decided to sleep on it, as she was feeling quite tired now. It wouldn't do to continue her mental debate if she fell asleep in the middle of it. Maybe in the morning she'd prod Nabiki for details concerning her new relationship with Ranma, if only for her peace of mind.  
  
Tomorrow was another day after all.  
  
- -  
  
Meanwhile, on Mount Kakorin just outside Nerima, a ghost waited patiently for its flicker to return from its mission. The ghost had entrusted this important mission to the flicker, simply because the ghost couldn't go near her targets without them recognizing it. The ghost's mission was very important to it, thus it could not jeopardize it by doing it personally and having itself be uncovered.  
  
The ghost had put on hold its chance to rest in peace for now until it could feel that its family was secure.  
  
Death had come as a shock to the ghost. Tendo Kimiko was her name in life and had taken her time to reclaim it in death. It had become apparent that her family could not accept her death and had kept her spirit from fully resting in peace. The Kami had been sympathetic to her plight and had offered her a way to solve her family's problems in order to allow her to rest in peace.  
  
It was just too bad it took them ten damned years just to get the proper paperwork in order.  
  
Just about a month ago in mortal terms, a messenger from the Kami gave her the okay to meddle in their lives as she saw fit. She was intrigued by this Ranma character who had shown up the very same day she had gotten the okay. Since it was Akane who was engaged to him, she decided to use up her allotment of clairvoyance and peek into her youngest daughter's future.  
  
What she seen had shaken her to the core.  
  
It was extremely shocking to see what would become of her youngest if she was to remain to engaged to this Ranma. The daily fights, the multiple fiancées, and all the craziness that had enveloped the pair's life had terrified her, especially what would happen at Phoenix Mountain and Jusendo. It bothered her that both Akane's and Ranma's bullheadedness would cause them so much pain.  
  
The fact that the two would eventually fall in love gave her little solace, if any at all.  
  
But what had concerned her more was her two elder daughters, as they would become embittered to their choice to foist Ranma off on Akane and poison any hope they'd have for happiness in at least the next couple of years. Deciding that if she was going to accomplish her task of getting her family past her death, she felt it was for the good of all that Akane did not remain Ranma's betrothed. The next task was helping each of her children find a suitable husband for themselves. The obvious block was who, and just how soon she could get them together. Kasumi's had proven the easiest, as all she needed to do was be gently notified that Dr. Tofu was madly in love with her.  
  
Now what about the other two?  
  
She could feel how important the agreement between the families was to Soun, as such it had to be upheld. As she had decided that Ranma and Akane would not be allowed to stay together, that only left Nabiki to the task. Having come to that decision, all that was left for her to find someone for Akane to replace Ranma.  
  
The question of just who that would be plagued her still to this day.  
  
Certainly not that dreadful Kuno boy, whom she had already developed her daughter's deep disgust for. But still, Akane's personality did not lend itself to potential matchmakers if she had learned anything about her. The puzzle of how Akane would find happiness might not be solvable by her, at least not at the present time.  
  
It hurt deeply to think of harming her daughter in such a way.  
  
But it couldn't be helped, she steadfastly reminded herself. There was a lot riding on her ability to drag the odd couple apart before any real deep bonds could form. The future she had foreseen had to be prevented at all costs, no matter who was hurt by it.  
  
A little pain now instead of a lot of pain later.  
  
She felt a familiar presence behind her, signifying the return of her acquired Amazon helper Shue. He had been gone since yesterday, and she had watched him fail miserably in his given task to convince Shampoo to give up on Ranma. She was disgusted at how he had handled himself, even after she had battered down Shampoo's emotional defenses.  
  
And he received a fitting punishment by her estimation.  
  
"Forgive me, Kimiko-sama, I have failed you," the bespectacled boy said, on his knees in apology.  
  
"Get up, you silly boy," Kimiko admonished teasingly. "Do you think I don't know this?"  
  
"Forgive me, I had forgotten that you see all that happens," the boy cowered, bowing further then before.  
  
"I said get up!" Kimiko commanded sternly, the boy's submissive posture annoying her heavily.  
  
"H-hai!" quipped the boy, shooting to his feet as though he would be struck dead in the next instant if he didn't.  
  
"Shue," the ghost began softly, a slight sense of sadness spreading through her being at what was to come. "You have served me very faithfully, but now is the time for you to return to your own life."  
  
"B-but Kimiko-sama," the boy protested, "serving you is my life. There is nothing for me to return to."  
  
Tears appeared on the ghost's face, the boy becoming something of a son to her during the past month. It did not help that she was feeling guilty about kidnapping him from his family and forcing him into servitude. Little will-o'-wisps appeared around her as she began to get depressed. After a few moments, she composed herself to do what she had been dreading.  
  
He deserved his reward for his service.  
  
"My dear boy," she began, a certain wistfulness in her voice. "My dear, sweet boy, I am touched by your sentiments. But as of now, I have no more need of your services. I thank you and will cherish your hard work for me always." She reached out an ethereal hand and held it over the boy's head. After a moment it glowed blue, and the boy's submissive posture vanished and was replaced by one of confusion.  
  
"I" the boy started as he made his way down the mountain, "I am Mu Tsu of Joketsuzoku. Why am I here? And where am I for that matter." The boy continued down the mountain and vanished from the ghost's sight.  
  
She loosed a ghostly moan, her equivalent of a sigh.  
  
"The game is afoot now my children," she said as she watched the sunrise. "I have played my hand in this grand game, now I shall see if my gamble will pay off."  
  
As the sunlight illuminated the mountain where she rested, Kimiko felt a sense of new found hope and cheer. It was the first time in years that she had felt good about her family's future. She took this sunrise as the first step to her finally being able to rest in peace.  
  
It was indeed a new day  
  
End Chapter 4  
  
Teaser for Chapter 5:  
  
Kuno Tatewaki was not a man of staggering intellect, nor was he a man of great tact. He was known to most as a perverted moron who couldn't distinguish fact from reality. He was, for all intents and purposes, Furinkan's class idiot, nothing more then a fool who was kept around for the amusement of others.  
  
Something he blamed the foul sorcerer Saotome for.  
  
Obviously the scoundrel had used his foul magics to bewitch his fellow students into ridiculing him. After all, he was the standard for what a man should be, the idol to Furinkan's male population. He also was incensed by the fiend's use of foul magics to gain the favor of his two destined loves, something the great Kuno Tatewaki would not stand for.  
  
Of course, he couldn't stand for it when he was knocked unconscious by Ranma.  
  
Kuno was now at his wit's end, that is to say his limited brain cells refused rub against each other to create friction. He had displayed his might, yet nothing could deflect the fiend's foul magic. It was almost becoming more then he could handle, especially with all the ridicule he had taken from his fellow students.  
  
An overwhelming amount of it coming from his supposed ally, the foul Mercenary Tendo Nabiki.  
  
He had been denied his deities' sanctioned viewing of the fierce Tigress' prowess by the fiend's magic. To say nothing of the fact that he had bewitched his dear, but overly twisted and demented, sister into loving him meant that he had to be careful not to harm his sister's love, lest she poison him even more then she does now. The gods were now being tricked into mocking the mighty Blue Thunder, their chosen tool of vengeance.  
  
He would do anything to defeat that foul sorcerer, even if he had to stoop to his level of tricks.  
  
  
  
Post chapter stuff: Whew, after two months, this thing is finished. I apologize once more for the lateness, but quality over speed of completion. Gomen! Tootles! 


	5. Of Manga and Martials Arts

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is the property of Viz Communications and Rumiko Takahashi. I make nothing from this, so please don't sue me.  
  
Author notes: And here we are, chapter 5 of my little A/U adventure. Big ups to Paul C. Heintz, for his suggestions on stuff that will be appearing in this chapter. Be on the look out, because a random plot device character may appear bearing his name. As for your questions my good sir, they should be answered in this chapter and maybe the next one as well. Also, props should be dished out to Saki Xiashang, who has given me some more suggestions. And lastly to JohnnyG and Yuki for their help with proofreading. :-)  
  
First I Giveth  
  
Chapter 5: Of Manga and Martial Arts  
  
By Marik Kurakashi  
  
After a long and toilsome night, morning arrived with its usual fanfare at the Tendo compound. While many of the other residents were feeling the effects of their rough nights, Kasumi was up and about in her usual cheer. Her worries were few and didn't need any real soul-searching to solve them.  
  
In fact, she was dealing with one right now.  
  
As she had done for the past ten years, she had cared for everyone in the house without complaint. It had been her security blanket, her way of silently crying while trying to raise her sisters to the best of her ability. She had convinced herself that crying too much would invariably lead to mass hysteria.  
  
It was best that everyone try and deal with Mother's passing in their own way, she concluded.  
  
Now that she thought about it, that hadn't really been all that wise. The biggest drawback was that her father had not come to his senses and lead the family like Kasumi thought he would, and probably should, after a few months of grieving. That left the role of mother to a girl of only nine years, but even then she couldn't provide everything.  
  
Nabiki had played the man of the house to her woman flawlessly, at great costs to herself.  
  
That was the second biggest drawback, Nabiki had really given up on most comforts that Akane had really taken for granted. Besides the money the pictures of Akane brought in, Nabiki was basically paying Akane back for the strain that was placed on her shoulders so Akane could be the popular girl everyone liked. Kasumi had often voiced her objections to this practice, even in light of the other ways of making money Nabiki often countered her with.  
  
It was unsavory and improper, but Kasumi knew that it would take a lot for Nabiki to totally stop.  
  
That invariably lead the eldest Tendo daughter to the subject of her loveable if infuriating youngest sister. While she had felt guilty about dumping the engagement off on Akane, she had felt it was time that Akane do something that was important for the family. She had been shocked when she heard Nabiki second her nomination of Akane, especially since she seemed so stoked about the whole thing.  
  
After Akane had dutifully brained Ranma, Kasumi did have some words with Nabiki.  
  
It really didn't come as a shock to her that Nabiki had basically stuck Akane with the engagement out of spite. Though Nabiki did not come right out and say that, Kasumi had years of experience finding the double meanings to Nabiki's words. While she did not approve of saddling Akane with something she seemed to hate so much, Nabiki did raise two really good points.  
  
This was the best opportunity for Akane to find someone for herself, as well as see what this Ranma had to offer.  
  
It had rapidly become apparent to her that the observation time had done Nabiki a lot of good, as she apparently liked what she had seen of Ranma. She was mystified as to what had grossly changed her sister's opinion of Ranma so quickly. It made her head swim sometimes to try and think about all that had changed so far, that she often needed to sit down just to regain her bearings.  
  
And that had nothing to do with Ranma.  
  
Deciding that she should get her thoughts straight on the boy again before everyone came down, Kasumi allowed the usual gamut of images run through her mind. He was a rather nice boy, one that any girl would consider herself lucky to date, but he just wasn't her type. He was rather rough around the edges that it would be very difficult for her to maintain her cool with him and not descend into massive fits of hysterical anger.  
  
That seemed be a common problem for Akane.  
  
She had often found herself equally annoyed at the both of them for all the ruckus they caused. She knew on an intellectual level that it was the pressure of the engagement being placed on their shoulders that made them snipe at each other so much. While she didn't like it all that much, she did feel that Akane came down too hard sometimes on things that were often out of Ranma's control.  
  
If only there was some way to get her temper in check, then maybe Ranma's mouth would check itself once in a while.  
  
Snorting a little, she finally had enough of her own thoughts that she tuned back in to her cooking preparations. It had become so routine for her to prepare breakfast that she could to it with little to no conscious effort. She would have asked her father to cook, but remembered most of the horror stories her mother told her when she was still alive. Akane, though not for lack of effort or heart, had unfortunately inherited their father's kitchen dyslexia.  
  
Kasumi still mentally cringed at the aftermath of several of her dear, sweet little sister's culinary efforts.  
  
Nabiki had shown some talent towards being able to produce something edible, but was far too uninterested in doing it. Convincing her to cook was more of a chore then it should be and Kasumi often found herself cooking more often then not. It also became apparent that Nabiki's favorite cookbook also doubled as the phonebook.  
  
It was more of an annoyance than a surprise, at least as Kasumi measured it.  
  
As she thought, the familiar noise of the rest of the residents rousing from slumber flitted through the house. From her father's mountainous yawn to Akane's peppy grunt, it really hadn't changed to Kasumi's ears. It was only the guttural groan of a panda that really signified the presence of their houseguests. She had come to understand Mr. Saotome's waking routine was generally boisterous, despite his intentions to keep quiet.  
  
How an 800-pound panda expected to move silently was beyond her.  
  
Inevitably, the sounds of Mr. Saotome during some stretching would waft through the house, followed by a shout. It was as routine as the sun rising at dawn and pointedly ignored by Kasumi. The ensuing sounds of combat would inevitably awaken Nabiki, whose annoyed growl was barely audible over the combat.  
  
Kasumi never understood how someone who seemed so dead when they first woke up could become so pristine in such a short amount of time.  
  
After all the morning excitement died down, everyone took their usual places to break the fast of sleep. The usual ruckus took place, again ignored by those who had grown accustomed to the noise. Through the breakfast, Akane and Kasumi teamed up to grill Nabiki about her sudden interest in their pig-tailed houseguest.  
  
There was an advantage in negotiations with Nabiki when you were related to her.  
  
Most who knew Nabiki would cry at the unfairness of the advantage she gave her sisters, though the sisters in question didn't have a real clue it was there. In all fairness, Nabiki refused to charge her sisters for anything unless she didn't feel like telling them what they wanted. To those who did not know better, they would say that Nabiki expertly danced her sisters around like puppets on their strings.  
  
And she wouldn't have it any other way.  
  
"So, oneechan, just what is going on between you and Ranma, hmm?" Akane asked sweetly, a little too much so judging from Nabiki's reaction.  
  
"Why, whatever do you mean imouto-chan?" Nabiki replied with mock innocence.  
  
"Grr, don't start that with me," the younger Tendo groused, upset that Nabiki had effortlessly deflected her opening salvo.  
  
"Oh come off it Akane, if you want to butter me up for answers, quit with the sugary tones and the friendly names. We tolerate each other, that's it." Nabiki snapped, exasperated that her sister had learned nothing from her on masking what you want to say.  
  
Before Akane could take offense and say something that would blow all their chances for answers, Kasumi interjected loud enough to draw Ranma's attention, "Then there is nothing going on between you and Ranma-kun?"  
  
Nabiki blinked almost owlishly at her older sister, not expecting her to jump in so fast. One of the rare times she was ever off balance in a verbal confrontation, Nabiki scrambled mentally for something to say. "What could you possibly think could be going on between me and Ranma-kun, oneechan?" Nabiki retorted in mock indignation, but not enough to have the dismissive effect she was going for.  
  
Kasumi fought down the urge to smile, knowing that she had Nabiki where she wanted her. She paused for a few seconds, knowing that if responded too fast, Nabiki would slip from her grasp without giving any answer. "Well, you **have** been a lot nicer to him lately, I was just wondering why you were doing it." Kasumi said, making sure to keep Ranma's attention locked to see how Nabiki would get out of this without hurting his feelings.  
  
Nabiki gave both of her expectant siblings a half-lidded star and said plainly, "What's going on between me and Ranma-kun is…"  
  
"Yes, go on," both sisters prompted, leaning in to hear the juicy details.  
  
"..None of your business." Nabiki finished flatly.  
  
"Wagh!!" both sisters cried as they fell off of their perches.  
  
Nabiki laughed freely and got up from her seat. "I'm done with breakfast, and I should get to school early today. You never know what craziness might happen to allow me to benefit from." the middle Tendo stated plainly, heading to grab her bag.  
  
"Wait! Don't you have something to say?" Kasumi called after her, disappointed that she didn't get the answers she was expecting.  
  
"Say? Maybe I do." Nabiki called back.  
  
"And that is?" came the reply from two voices.  
  
"Don't feed stupid pandas!" was the reply they got, which had the effect of causing both sisters to look at each other in wonderment. It also caused Genma-panda to choke on the bamboo he was eating.  
  
Ranma looked confused momentarily before deftly snatching the bamboo away and said tsking, "Nuh uh, you heard what she said, don't feed stupid pandas and you're as dumb as they come pops."  
  
The panda glared menacingly, though the sign in his hand did dispel that image somewhat. "Show some respect boy, just because you got lucky the other day is no reason to prematurely pat yourself on the back." read the sign, the panda's glare still slightly menacing until he noticed his son and the other occupants of the room snickering at the sign.  
  
"Too true…" gasped Ranma in between chuckles.  
  
Dumbfounded, the panda whipped his gaze to the sign and was horrified by what he read. "I am Genma, hear me snore!" exclaimed the sign, replete with a crude drawing of a sleeping panda.  
  
"Growf!" cried the panda in dismay, flinging the sign away before looking around accusingly for the person who had perpetrated such a heinous act.  
  
Not too far away, Soun whistled innocently while he slid the paint bucket under the table a little more…  
  
- - -  
  
It was early morning time at Furinkan High, a time when the athletes gathered in order to plan out strategies and such for upcoming sporting events. It was times such as these that students could still enjoy without the sound of the voice of the stick-wielding moron. It was times such as these that they could still enjoy the peace before the walking disaster came.  
  
It was all they had, but they could not be sure for much longer this would last.  
  
Under its tree, the loudmouthed horror lurked in quiet repose. In its foul grasp was its trademark stick, with which it would threaten and assault any daring enough to offend it. The comical look on its face, showing it to be engaged in some approximation of thinking, was all the signs the student would need to know that they were in for a long rant filled morning.  
  
They decided to practice their groans ahead of time.  
  
Kuno Tatewaki was not a man of staggering intellect, nor was he a man of great tact. He was known to most as a perverted moron who couldn't distinguish fact from reality. He was, for all intents and purposes, Furinkan's class idiot, nothing more then a fool who was kept around for the amusement of others.  
  
Something he blamed the foul sorcerer Saotome for.  
  
Obviously the scoundrel had used his foul magic to bewitch his fellow students into ridiculing him. After all, he was the standard for what a man should be, the idol to Furinkan's male population. He also was incensed by the fiend's use of foul magics to gain the favor of his two destined loves, something the great Kuno Tatewaki would not stand for.  
  
Of course, he couldn't stand for it when he was knocked unconscious by Ranma.  
  
Kuno was now at his wit's end, that is to say his limited brain cells refused rub against each other to create friction. He had displayed his might, yet nothing could deflect the fiend's foul magic. It was almost becoming more then he could handle, especially with all the ridicule he had taken from his fellow students.  
  
An overwhelming amount of it coming from his supposed ally, the foul Mercenary Tendo Nabiki.  
  
He had been denied his deities' sanctioned viewing of the fierce Tigress' prowess by the fiend's magic. To say nothing of the fact that he had bewitched his dear, but overly twisted and demented, sister into loving him meant that he had to be careful not to harm his sister's love, lest she poison him even more then she does now. The gods were now being tricked into mocking the mighty Blue Thunder, their chosen tool of vengeance.  
  
He would do anything to defeat that foul sorcerer, even if he had to stoop to his level of tricks.  
  
With his course determined, Kuno Tatewaki summoned up his legendary cunning, of which he constantly heard whispers of. Unfortunately, he could not distinguish the fact that they were talking of his lack of cunning, but once he heard his name, his ego filled in the rest. As he formulated a plan, he idly noted the mercenary sister of his fierce Tigress come into view.  
  
He could barely stand the sight of her.  
  
While it was true that they had a cup of coffee relationship in middle school before they declared their undying hatred for one another. He would admit, under great duress and copious amounts of truth serums, that he still found her attractive in a "respect for your enemy kind of way". While her insults seemed to have taken an upturn these past few weeks, he still figured that she probably had the same kind of feelings towards him.  
  
What woman wouldn't lust after him in some fashion?  
  
He paused at that thought, wondering how she had wiggled her way into his thoughts about defeating the wretch Saotome. The answer came swiftly, though as usual it was completely wrong in its assumption and creation. She could aid him in his quest to defeat Saotome, as she had given her blessing for his pursuit of Akane.  
  
And maybe she would forget to pester him about that picture….  
  
- - -  
  
Meanwhile, back at the Tendo compound, Ranma was carefully approaching talking to Kasumi. Nabiki's sisters had seem so insistent to get answers on what was happening between the two, that it had left Ranma treading on eggshells about the talk he wanted to have. He knew that he would have to watch his words and avoid sticking his foot in his mouth.  
  
He knew that if he said anything wrong, it would get back to Nabiki, a prospect he found he himself distinctly not liking.  
  
As it were, he decided to allow Akane to go on ahead. His conversation shouldn't last all that long, and him arriving late may delay the daily Kuno pounding. He made sure his father hadn't seen him go into the kitchen, as he didn't want to be flung from house for trying to skip school.  
  
At least, he surmised, if Tendo-san would allow his father such an action.  
  
He allowed himself pause as he thought over the change in the Tendo patriarch. It had seemed as if he had suddenly snapped out of his funk and quit bawling at ever instance that he believed to require tears. He also noted that Soun had also lost his uncontrolled temper and was less prone to displaying his Demon head technique.  
  
It was another thing he had to be grateful for since that fateful conversation.  
  
He shook his head, deciding that if he stood idly any further, Kasumi would simply usher him out to school. What he had to talk about couldn't discussed while Nabiki was around, as he firmly came to believe that the person who coined the phrase 'the walls have ears' must have had Nabiki in mind. She always had an uncanny ability to pick up things that were supposed to be secret.  
  
He wondered briefly if she could teach him how to do it.  
  
Deciding that he needed to hurry up and get this over with, Ranma decided to speak up. "Hey, uh, Kasumi-chan? I need to ask you something." he said, a little nervous about the subject after what happened earlier this morning.  
  
"You're suppose to be heading towards school, Ranma-kun," Kasumi replied casually, not even bothering to turn around.  
  
"I know, but there was something I wanted to talk to you about that I couldn't do in front of Akane or Nabiki." he sheepishly replied, hoping he didn't lose his nerve.  
  
"Oh, and what would that be?" she asked sweetly, wondering if she may be able to get a straight answer from the pig-tailed boy.  
  
"It's just with the fact that me and Nabiki seem to be gettin' along and all, I was thinking about getting her something to celebrate our new found friendship." he answered, trying his best not to ram all the words together.  
  
"New found friendship eh," Kasumi asked teasingly, eliciting a slight blush from the boy, "What did you have in mind?"  
  
"Well, I was gonna buy her a manga, but I didn't know just what to get her." the pig-tailed boy answered, twiddling his fingers a little nervously.  
  
"Hmmm…" Kasumi replied, and then pulled out a piece of paper she found while cleaning Nabiki's room. "I think this is Nabiki's to buy manga list," she said, handing the paper to the boy.  
  
Ranma took the paper and gave it a quick once over. 'This could be of some help,' he thought as he examined the list, 'Crest of Stars, Ah! My Goddess, and Revolutionary Girl Utena. That's nice… Get Backers, Ai Yori Aoshi… Hellsing? Neon Genesis Evangelion?? Okay… Well, I don't have enough for all of them, I'll just decided when I get there.' Hiroshi and Daisuke took it upon themselves to give him a crash course on a few series a couple weeks back, leading to his confusion as to why she might want something as violent as Hellsing or as strange as Evangelion.  
  
"Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked, deciding that it was time for Ranma to go to school.  
  
"Yeah?" he asked, trying not to sound standoffish at having his contemplations interrupted.  
  
"Don't you think you should be heading to school now?" she asked, politely implying that he should be going now.  
  
"One more question, Kasumi-chan," he said, needing a good clue for what he was going to get, "Do you know which one of these I should get her?"  
  
Kasumi furled her brow and said, "I don't know," she admitted, contemplating the question. It was hard reading Nabiki sometimes, so she would have to think back on any prior experience she had with anything Nabiki had written down before. Her lips formed a neutral line as she couldn't find any visual clues to help. She quickly thought back to any situation where Nabiki might have mentioned buying a certain manga….  
  
"Well I am hoping to get either Get Backers or Ah! My Goddess, though the latter may be a little too sappy for me." Nabiki had said a few weeks back, which Kasumi quickly seized and used to make a suggestion so as to no make Ranma any later than usual.  
  
"I remember she mentioned wanting to buy Get Backers at some point, so maybe you could get her that?" she said, hoping that that would appease the boy's curiosity and help with his "friendship" to Nabiki, however either one of them viewed it.  
  
"Thanks, Kasumi-chan," the boy breathed, feeling some of the weight of choice removed from his shoulders.  
  
"Any time, Ranma-kun," she easily replied, a mirthful twinkle in her eye at the shifts in the boy's posture. "I have been lenient so far, but you have to get to school."  
  
Ranma nodded and ran out the door, feeling a little better about his decision to open up to Nabiki. If he could start being truer to himself and others, maybe his life could be simpler. He ran on, a multitude of thoughts and feelings rampaging through him.  
  
Though he still couldn't shake the feeling that he may be heading into something deeper with Nabiki.  
  
Kasumi watched as the hope of their father's dreams ran off to school, an odd smile of satisfaction on her face. Unlike most people, Kasumi had doubted the pairing of Ranma and Akane from the very beginning, if only because of how mad her youngest sister got. She did not believe that they would just wake up one morning madly in love without a miracle or a love potion.  
  
Though she often ignored reality, she could see more than most others.  
  
While Ranma and Nabiki hadn't really said it out in the open, she could tell that something was developing between them. The way Nabiki had avoided saying anything, even with Ranma looking on in interest, spoke volumes to how much the past few days had changed them both. The changes were subtle, almost too small to be noticed, but even the smallest of pebbles can make the largest of waves if thrown right.  
  
As Kasumi turned back to the dishes, she thought just how perfect that toss had been.  
  
- - -  
  
Back up on her mountain, Kimiko giggled to herself about the events caused by her last direct intervention. She had sent a small part of her consciousness out to make sure that everyone was still moving towards her desired destination. It tickled her to no end what her bit of consciousness told her.  
  
Especially the story behind a picture that Kuno had come into possession of a while back.  
  
Since she had played her hand already, Kimiko decided to have a little fun with her middle daughter and her potential husband. It was a simple thing to take control of Kuno's alleged mind and have him unconsciously stick the picture into his bag among his other pictures. With that simple task done, she could sit back and watch the action.  
  
It was going to be grand…  
  
- - -  
  
At this same moment, Kuno was leafing through his pictures in order to gain inspiration from his two loves so his might would defeat the loathsome Saotome. It was strange to the Kendoist that the heavens' chosen warrior would not be immune to the foul magics of the fiendish Saotome. Nonetheless, he knew that one day he would triumph over the fiendish sorcerer and hold his two loves in his mighty arms, a scene that would inspire the poets to wax on endlessly.  
  
And he sincerely wished that day would get here.  
  
In any event, he continued leafing through his pictures, until he came upon a certain picture. His eyes frogged as he wondered just how in the hell that picture had gotten in there. He couldn't let that vile Mercenary know that he had it or else she would pester him to no end until he gave it back.  
  
Besides, what was so bad about a guy wanting to keep a commemorative photo of the only pair of boobs he had ever seen?  
  
"Here comes Akane, Kuno-sempai," called one of the members of the Kendo Club.  
  
"Urk!" he intelligently gasped and quickly stuffed the pictures into his shirt with great haste. If his fierce tigress was coming, so too should be her captor.  
  
"I don't see Saotome… what the?" the same boy reported, his eyes comically expanding to the size of dinner plates.  
  
"What dost thou see, Izuka-san?" called the Kendoist, the honorific simply to show that the boy happened to be third on the Kendo team.  
  
"I-I don't know if I can describe it, Kuno-sempai," Izuka replied, wondering if all the blows he had sustained during his Hentai Horde days hadn't driven him mad.  
  
Kuno growled and got up from his seat, taking up his bokken in anticipation of challenging Akane without that foul Saotome interfering. He gazed out, waiting to be overwhelmed by her perfect beauty. As his mind began tossing fantasies around, Akane came into sight. Kuno's eyes matched those of everyone else who beheld Akane.  
  
It was not a pretty sight.  
  
- - -  
  
It was a peaceful walk for Akane this morning, as Ranma was not there to argue with. She felt a pang of longing, as it seemed that Ranma was drifting further away from her. She quickly quashed that feeling with a desire to prove herself to everyone that she was a martial artist too.  
  
But she knew she could not reach Ranma's level without a great deal of help.  
  
Her ploy to get Ryoga to help her train to beat Ranma failed, as he couldn't stay in her presence more than five seconds with tittering like an annoying chat. His penchant for getting lost didn't help matters either, as she would have to find some way to prevent that if he were to ever get over his problem. She sighed in frustration, wishing for the umpteenth time that she could get rid of these conflicting emotions.  
  
A few moments later, she wished she had waited for Ranma by the front gate.  
  
It is said that the Nerima ward of Tokyo, along with its sister ward Juuban, is the focal point of all things strange and chaotic. This manifests itself in all sorts of weird things that you would never think you would see. As it were, the person most likely to be on the receiving end of this chaos, one Saotome Ranma, was not at the scheduled places for these manifestations of chaos.  
  
So they took the next best thing.  
  
As Akane walked by the drainage ditch, a sudden downpour started, inspite of the fact that no one with a Jusenkyo curse to activate was visible. As Akane started to run, she was nailed by the old lady who was still tossing out water onto her walk in the rain. Soaked thoroughly and feeling somewhat miserable, Akane stalked towards Doctor Tofu's in order to dry off a bit before school.  
  
'Perhaps,' she thought, 'it would have been wise for me to have waited for Ranma.'  
  
It may have also been wiser had she not said those words. Words are often impotent on their own, but when certain words are put together, they can be downright magical. The words weren't your regular b-grade "magical" words like Abracadabra or Alakazam. Oh no, these words were a very affront to the gods of Fate themselves.  
  
She really shouldn't have said it couldn't get any worse.  
  
She quickly came to that conclusion as a billboard suddenly came unhinged and narrowly missed squashing her. She narrowly avoided a stampede of cats and dogs, storming from a pet store that hadn't been there before today. Kodachi then assaulted her, the crazy rose-lover crying some nonsense about releasing her Ranma-sama from her vile clutches.  
  
It confirmed her suspicion that Kodachi really was just a female version of her elder brother.  
  
After finally fending off Kodachi by telling her that she would find whatever magical means she was employing and cease them immediately. Kodachi leapt off, leaving Akane to be amazed by the fact that thick sarcasm that she was sure that Kuno might have been able to detect and bold-faced lying had diffused the girl. It was no less shocking then the fact that Kodachi had proclaimed from the outset that no words would sway her hand.  
  
Akane wondered if living in your own fantasy world was as nice as the siblings Kuno were making it out to be.  
  
It got even worse from there, as someone carelessly tossing out water doused her again. Soaked yet again, a few welts she had gotten from Kodachi still stinging, Akane finally reached Doctor Tofu's. As she reached for the handle to escape the madness, someone forcibly running out the door suddenly bashed her in the face. She didn't get a good look at them, but she did spot a small handkerchief covering the person's face.  
  
It was at this time the sensation of bleeding caught up to Akane.  
  
Bleeding. The whole experience numbed her senses, leaving her to stare vacantly as Tofu looked down at her in shock. He said something, but her ears weren't picking it up. He gently scooped her up and quickly rushed her into the clinic. As he stitched her up, memories flooded back to her, of her first match against the Hentai Horde.  
  
It was not a particularly fond memory.  
  
The first time it happened, Akane was shocked to the core. Contrary to popular belief, Kuno's proclamation for defeating Akane to the student body had come after the first attack. He had informed about 20 boys of the requirements to date Akane, whom had shown up the next morning and attacked her. She had fought well; no where near as well as she did now of course, but well enough to make it through the first twelve boys.  
  
And then it happened.  
  
As she came upon the last eight boys, who were arguably eight of the best fighters of Furinkan, she was already a little winded. She had soaked in the weak hits from twelve before like a rock, but even the hardest stone can be cracked by constant pounding. As it were, she was hoping for a quick burst through the last eight and get to school to rest.  
  
Only it didn't happen that way.  
  
As she approached the first Hentai, she was cracked hard by a shinai upside the head. The blow was wholly unexpected and had successfully split her open, causing the rest of the students to gasp in shock. It had the opposite effect on Akane, who snarled in unbridled fury that even the bravest warrior would stumble back in fear from. The boy who struck her got it the worse, as she punched and sent him flying into the wall… over a 100 meters away.  
  
This was the internal, animalistic rage of Tendo Akane released and unrestrained, a rather ugly thing to see.  
  
The other seven were dealt with in exceedingly brutal fashion, each more injured then the last. As Kuno stepped up to make a speech to announce his challenge, he was cut short by Akane's scream of anger. He barely had time to get his bokken up as Hurricane Akane came thundering in. With two swift blows that defied all logic for the seemingly clumsy and unskilled girl, she had disarmed Kuno and left him sprawling on the ground. As Akane stormed into the school, the entire student body came to a conclusion.  
  
That hurting Tendo Akane was not that good of an idea.  
  
As she flashed back to that horrible moment, she began to tremble at the look of terror in each of their eyes. They thought she was some kind of monster, a demoness that had replaced their goddess. That incident was why Kuno never went all out on her, he feared drawing her true wrath.  
  
The soft voice of Dr. Tofu brought her from her trance.  
  
As she came back down from her self-induced haze, she thanked Tofu for treating her injuries and left the clinic. A couple blocks from Tofu, she began to feel a little bit better about herself. In fact, she thought of several of the more comical events since Ranma's arrival. One of the moments caused her to laugh out loud at the sheer absurdity of it.  
  
Once more, she was reminded of the dangers of doing something.  
  
In the cosmic weirdness of Nerima, no one bore the brunt of the fates' fickle musings than the clowns. This wandering troupe of clowns were all veterans of children's parties, each one an act of humiliation and pain. They've been kicked, punched, spit upon and many other humiliating acts.  
  
None more haunted then the head of this wandering troupe of clowns, whom were hell bent on gaining vengeance against children everywhere, Kouzo.  
  
Kouzo was a legend amongst all the clowns of Japan, a man dedicated to brightening countless birthdays and other necessary clown functions. Revered along with that gaijan clown Bozo, Kouzo had the distinction of the hardest working clown in Japan. Over the years, in an effort to conceal his torment, Kouzo practiced varying martial arts based upon clown tricks. The members, clowns bitter from all the laughing at their expenses, readily became his pupils, relishing the chance to lash out at their tormentors.  
  
They had then heard that most horrible of horrible sounds: Laughter.  
  
Kouzo had two chiefly bad experiences with kids' parties: one was a little rich snob whose laughter seemed to permeate his skin and rub sand paper onto his nerves. The other, and in his opinion more devastating, was a party thrown for the very girl laughing her head off right now. None of his tricks worked to make her laugh or elicit any response except for when he screamed in agony from her hitting him. She laughed incessantly, his proud nose smashed to pieces by that witch, as he lay clutching his nose.  
  
Today, Tendo Akane would have the distinction of being the first victim of Musabetsu Kakutou Ryu no bakasawagi.  
  
When Akane had finally stopped laughing, she was nailed in the face with a pie. Upon removing the pie pan from her face, she was squirted with lemon juice, which got into her eyes and blinded her further. She screamed as the lemon juice stung her eyes, which allowed the clowns to close in on her and attack in their odd manner.  
  
The first clown tossed several balloons animals towards her, where they were popped by the second's deftly used slingshot. The balloons were special in nature; as such they released tremendous bursts of air pressure when popped. After being flung to the ground, Akane quickly got up and took a wild swing at the third, who casually evaded and bopped her with a mallet. As the gods of irony promptly died from their namesake, Akane stumbled backwards dazed.  
  
The fourth one pied her a second time, though this pie was still piping hot, which had the effect of burning Akane's face with cherry goodness. Quickly tearing the plate from her face, Akane understood she was overmatched by these guys and ran. She knew her mind was elsewhere, which is why a literal bunch of clowns were kicking her ass.  
  
Kouzo's grin nearly swallowed his ears as he watched Akane run. He was of the opinion that clowns should be feared and respected, not used as some brat's punching bag. He relished in the feeling of him and his students enacting their first of many revenge upon the people who wronged them. He decided to cap off this assault by showing Akane the fearsome might of his legendary special technique.  
  
A faint aura sprang up around Kouzo, who then yelled, "Kanashii piero higi: hohoemi bakudan!" He threw his arm forward and a curious bomb, replete with a smile, flew at Akane. The girl in question screamed as the bomb impacted the ground beneath her and exploded into a cloud of purple gas, which had the effect of singeing her skirt as well as tearing it.  
  
She would never take clowns lightly ever again, provided these maniacs refrained from killing her.  
  
Akane sighed as she got within sight of Furinkan, someone, anyone should be able to help her there. With a loud cry of determination, she surged forward and left her pursuers behind. As she got within the gates, she could here the angry noises the clowns made as they decided to give up chasing her for now.   
  
After all, they had pummeled her into easy submission; there was no need for further attacks.  
  
Akane hunched over and began to pant from the unexpected attacks upon her person. She had not expected to be subjected to the chaos that normally enveloped Ranma, as she was always on the outside looking in. After all that, she could understand why Ranma was a little weird when it came to certain things.  
  
Then she heard the loud gasps of shock.  
  
Her head whipped up so fast that it gave her a brief case of vertigo, causing the girl swoon slightly. Everyone was staring at her in shock, as though she were some kind of freak. She tried to get mad, but she was feeling too exhausted to do that, as such she merely grunted and glared menacingly at them all. The crowds continued to gawk at her, which continued to irk her further.  
  
At this point, they all began laughing in earnest.  
  
Akane looked around the schoolyard, seeing just about everyone laughing at her. She gazed towards the balcony where Nabiki always watches from and could feel her laughing. She couldn't believe it, even _Kuno_ was laughing at her for crying out loud, which starting sounding like a good idea. She began to tear up and stormed into the school with head down. It was a bad day, one that could only get worse as far as she was concerned.  
  
She couldn't begin to imagine how right she was.  
  
- - -  
  
Ranma was running along on his way to school, his mind firmly on how much his relationship with Nabiki had changed. A few days ago, they had been nothing more then casual acquaintances, more or less tolerating each other simply because there was the distinct possibility of becoming family. Now, after having caught her in his room kissing him of all things, he found himself oddly drawn to her.  
  
It was in much the same manner he had been originally drawn to Akane.  
  
He could readily admit that he had never given serious thought to what kind of girl he was attracted to. A lack of early field play had denied him the opportunity to accurately understand just that. He snorted derisively as his father had expected him to choose a fiancée without understanding something important like that.  
  
Of course, he never thought that his father was all that smart in the first place.  
  
In any event, Ranma was noting a distinct lack of him getting randomly splashed. Anyone else would have been paranoid to the point of distraction by this, but not Ranma. He figured that either he was hitting a spot of good luck or that the fates were hording their ammo to really let him have it.  
  
He was hoping for the former and praying against the latter.  
  
He made it to Furinkan in a record amount of time, which wasn't all that shocking since he hadn't been splashed or arguing with Akane the whole way. He glanced around the courtyard and found that a lot of his fellow students were now regaining their composure. He noted he didn't see Akane anywhere and absently mindedly wave at Nabiki when he spotted her doing the same.  
  
He looked around make sure Akane wasn't anywhere in sight, as getting booted over the school didn't hold any appeal for him.  
  
'I wonder where the tomboy is,' he idly thought as he watched Kuno begin to bluster up, 'I didn't pass her on the way here, as she would have shouted at me for being a jerk and leaving her behind.'  
  
Kuno cut his standard dramatic pose and proclaimed, "Foul sorcerer, for the sake of the Pig-Tailed Girl and Tendo Akane, I, Kuno Tatewaki, will smite thee!"  
  
Ranma regarded the Kendoist with a half-lidded stare, before he sighed and said, "Okay, let's just get this over with." He calmly took a ready stance and motioned for Kuno to come at him.  
  
"Foul knave," Kuno proclaimed, "Thy allow the great Kuno Tatewaki the first strike? Then allow the Blue Thunder show you thy folly!" He charged forward and started rapidly slashing at Ranma.  
  
Ranma weaved around the slashes with ease, pondering just how he would defeat Kuno today. He patiently waited for his opportunity to strike, knowing that doing so before could cost him so unnecessary pain. After a few tense seconds of enduring the breeze from Kuno's bokken, Ranma quickly popped him in the chest with a kick, though it wasn't hard enough to knock the older boy out or anything loose.  
  
- - -  
  
Up on her usual balcony, Nabiki watched Ranma fight Kuno as he had done since his arrival. During those first few fights that she had witnessed, she found that there was an odd warmth that would occasionally thrum through her, though she couldn't quite understand what it was. Now that she was embracing her feelings for him though, she could understand just what that warmth was.  
  
It was a feeling of safety mixed with a vague sexual attraction on a more primal scale.  
  
Nabiki wasn't ignorant to the particular pack mentality that dominated Furinkan at the moment. Kuno often got away with a lot of things because no one could have beat him up, hence he had established himself as the Alpha male of the high school, meaning that he got the very best of the girls. Akane's admiration amongst the male populace grew because of the fact that Kuno wanted her, meaning she was the best available girl at the school, even if there were more willing girls out there.  
  
It wasn't so surprising that they gave up after Ranma beat Kuno, as he had established his dominance.  
  
As it were, Nabiki watched as Ranma decided to drag out his fight with Kuno. 'Hmmm…' she thought, 'he must think that if he can make it last, Kuno-baka just might give up.'  
  
Just then, one of Nabiki's underlings came over to her and whispered, "Hiroshi spied on Kuno's picture batch like you asked, and he has the picture."  
  
Nabiki resisted the urge to scream and calmly whispered back, "What?"  
  
"The picture you've been trying to get back from Kuno-sempai for the past year," the girl explained, "I thought you'd be happy to know that he has it."  
  
"Domo," Nabiki replied neutrally, though she was feeling just a little apprehensive about what would happen if Ranma or anyone else saw that picture. She casually walked away from the balcony and exited the room.  
  
"She took that better then I thought she would," the girl quipped to one of Nabiki's other associates.  
  
Once outside the classroom, Nabiki looked down both ways of the hallway. Seeing no one else in the hall, Nabiki took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she had to do. After a few seconds of gathering her nerves, Nabiki took off like a woman possessed as she tried to get to the battlefield before it was too late.  
  
Her reputation may very well rest on her ability to get there in time…  
  
- - -  
  
Back down at the battle, Ranma was actually having fun against Kuno. Almost all of his fights against the crazed bokken wielder had been rather short affairs, lasting no more then one or two kicks before the Blue Thunder's noise had faded. He didn't feel that same encroaching annoyance at Kuno that he usually did, as such he didn't feel like knocking him out just yet.  
  
'I wonder why,' the pig-tailed boy thought idly while evading Kuno's attacks as he usually did. 'Could it be that I don't feel like he's trying to muscle in on my turf anymore?'  
  
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Kuno was slowly growing more and more incensed as the foul demon continued evading the might of the Blue Thunder. It was impossible for such a lowborn cur like this mongrel Saotome to stand up to the continued might of Kuno Tatewaki, the greatest warrior of the modern era. It was oddly fitting that the vile dog wore red, because he often saw red from the slightest glances.  
  
Could it be that the slimy sorcerer of the Darkest Arts had some trifling of skills in the arts of war?  
  
'No,' he internally denied, 'the honorless swine could not know the purest joy of even the most plebian of martial arts. I will teach him the error of his ways!' With that, Kuno came down in a mighty slash that missed Ranma and smashed into the ground.  
  
Ranma flipped back and land about 2 meters away and smirked at Kuno. "Not bad, Kuno, not bad at all. If you keep it up, I might freeze to death from the breeze of your stick," Ranma said, the taunt coming easy to his lips.  
  
Kuno growled and narrowed his eyes before holding his bokken forward in his right hand and pompously proclaiming, "Foul dog, thy should not make light of the skills of the mighty Blue Thunder. When thy lie broken at mine feet, I shall enjoy kicking you in the nose like the disobedient cur thou art!"  
  
Ranma took a cocky stance before motioning for Kuno to come on. "Come on windbag, are you gonna fight or talk?" he asked, feeling like the end should soon be coming.  
  
"Swine, I fight on!" Kuno bellowed, closing the distance a great charging slash, which again missed his pig-tailed nemesis by the slightest of margins.  
  
As Ranma circled around Kuno and started back towards the school, he noted Nabiki coming out of the building in a rush. Deciding that after he had knocked out Kuno he could find out what's wrong, Ranma steeled himself to bring this fight to an end. He began leading in a circle, trailing back towards school in order cut down on the time it would take him to get to class after he knocked out Kuno.  
  
For his part, Kuno seemed even more incensed by the pig-tailed boy's apparent dominance over him. The foul one's magic was continually embarrassing him in front all his peers, which was really starting to get on his nerves. Every swing was mightier then the last yet they still could not breach that foul demon's magical defenses.  
  
By this time, the two combatants were close enough to Nabiki for her to spit on, a fact that made her very nervous. She was out here in case Ranma nailed Kuno with kick that caused all the pictures he had in his shirt to fly out, but she was beginning to wonder if she may have overreacted just a bit. The wind from Hurricane Kuno's latest miss sent her staggering, though she managed to see him turn to face Ranma once again.  
  
Then the air was littered with pictures.  
  
Ranma's kick had been flawless, blowing through any defense Kuno might have mustered. The tall boy went shooting past Nabiki, whom rushed forward and started snagging all the pictures. Ranma watched in bemusement at the sight of Nabiki scrambling around and snagging all of Kuno's pictures.  
  
He figured she just resell them to him, which is probably why she was so eager to get them.  
  
'Not it, nope, damn it, where the hell is it?' Nabiki thought frantically as she continued to gather the pictures. After another minute, she had gathered all but one picture. It had to be the one she was looking for, as there were no other pictures that weren't already in her grasp.  
  
'I never knew Nabiki could move so fast,' Ranma thought, mildly impressed that she had managed to grab most of the pictures in such a short period of time.  
  
Nabiki was tired. She had ran down the flight of stairs between her classroom and the ground, not to mention the frantic running she had just done. She continued to press on, knowing that the damnable picture was just within her reach.  
  
Kuno would have no more leverage to use against her if she bumped some of the prices of a few things up.  
  
'Almost got it,' Nabiki thought, relief flooding her that a particularly bad memory was about have some closure. She reached out to grab it, but a sudden gust of wind ripped it away from her and sent it towards Ranma.   
  
'Oh… oh no…' she mentally groaned, knowing that she won't get the picture before Ranma snagged it out of curiosity.  
  
Ranma was caught of guard as the last picture suddenly change course and came at him as if it had a life of it's own. As such, he was left flat-footed as the photo smacked into his face. He peeled the photo off his face and glanced blankly at it, missing Nabiki taking in a sharp breath.  
  
'Aw… crap.' Nabiki thought, silently waiting for Ranma's exclamation about the picture, which would then annihilate her reputation at school.  
  
Ranma took in all that there was to the picture he held in his hand. He could clearly make out the back of Kuno's head, even if the baka was a little younger and shorter. He also could tell that Kuno was bleeding from the nose for some reason, which was lost on Ranma. Then he took in the final clue, his eyes comically frogging as noticed a slightly younger Nabiki, sans a top.  
  
Also, her bra was suspiciously absent too.  
  
A fierce blush began to flare up on his cheeks as he found himself riveted by the sight of Nabiki's womanly attributes. A stray thought flitted through his mind that noted that she had grown a bit since the time this picture was taken. That thought caused him to blush even deeper, giving him the appearance of a ripe, pig-tailed, bipedal tomato.  
  
He was beginning to wonder just what that tingly sensation that was building in his nose was.  
  
Nabiki, for her part, took this all rather well. Well, as well as someone who was about to have one of the most embarrassing moments of their lives in a few short seconds can. The fact that if she screamed or charged at Ranma to get the picture from him would completely blow her image was the only thing keeping her from doing either one.  
  
She hoped no one could see her blush from Ranma's reaction.  
  
Ranma's mind was a literal whirlwind of action. Stray thoughts and theorems rapidly shot across his brain, giving the boy a slight headache from overusing his least exercised muscle. While these had not been the first pair of, well, boobs that he had ever seen, the idea of someone as controlled as Nabiki doing something so brazen was rather shocking. The sensation in his nose chose that moment to make itself known to him, an odd sensation that felt as though he was bleeding.  
  
He quickly decide to tear his gaze from the picture, fearing that he would start bleeding wildly if he kept staring at it. The first thing that he laid eyes upon was Nabiki, who seemed to be as red as he surely was. He idly noted that Kuno was just now getting up from the kick he had delivered, but that was the furthest thing from his mind.  
  
The continuing build of pressure in his nose was a larger concern than the stick-wielding idiot.  
  
A familiar warmth began tickling the back of his mind, distracting him from his nasal build-up momentarily. In a few seconds, his brain was awash of perverse thoughts that were not of his own making. The multitude of images, ranging from rather tame to downright pornographic in nature.  
  
It was as if some entity had found the throttle to his hentai center and pushed it full down.  
  
Saotome Ranma, to any who have met him, was a boy famed for his nonexistent libido and downright fear of overly affectionate girls. While many would often question his father's methods of raising him, he did have two sound, in his mind at least, reasons for thrusting his son into an all-boy middle school. The first and most obvious would be that Ranma would get into plenty of fights, which translated into growth in the arts.  
  
The second, and mostly overlooked, was the fact that Genma could tell his son would draw girls like moths to a flame. It was, in a nutshell, the famed Saotome charm at work. Essentially, Ranma's inherent ignorance to most subjects would give him an outwardly innocent guise that most girls would find themselves drawn to him.  
  
Attracting rivals was okay, but girls were an entirely different matter.  
  
It was also that innocence that leads people to leap to conclusions on Ranma. The often logical, though almost always as far from, conclusion was that no one could look that innocent. Actions that were contrary were often ignored and only reflected upon in crude horror and self-depreciating humor.  
  
Which lead to this most puzzling dilemma of immense magnitude.  
  
'Irony is such a fickle mistress,' Nabiki silently mused, deciding to be philosophical in order to block out the embarrassment.   
  
In her seventeen years of life, Nabiki had often been the one to revel in the shame and misery of others. She was a notorious prankster, Akane often being the butt of those pranks. If Akane weren't suffering from a near-mental breakdown, she'd laugh her head off at Nabiki blushing in regards to anyone, let alone Ranma.  
  
And then she'd explode in anger when she discovered what he had been ogling.  
  
That was the source of her current vexation. She so wanted to scream, deny anything about that picture, something other then standing there like a bump on a log. But she also knew she couldn't, because she was the calm, cool collected one who didn't get upset over anything.  
  
'Sometimes,' she wondered, 'is reputation really worth it?'  
  
She felt it acutely, the feeling of his eyes burning into her in a vacant stare that was both intense and passive. It made oh so delectably disturbing shiver run down her spine with the thought that she was the cause of it. For too long had she suppressed the feeling she was even remotely attractive, an ideal perpetuated by the thought that most men found an independent woman intimidating.  
  
'But not Ranma,' she mused to herself, 'the only thing that frightens him about girls is the fact he has no earthly idea what to when one is interested in him.'  
  
She made a brief note that Ranma was bleeding from the nose slightly, a fact which puzzled her. She was pretty sure he wasn't the pervert Akane always said he was, but that theory was being tested right now. In any event, it was becoming readily apparent that Mount Ranma was about to blow.  
  
'And I'm still in the way!' she thought in distress, hoping that the pending eruption would be delayed.  
  
As it were, Kuno had relieved Nabiki of that concern as he shoved her aside gently, wanting to get a good shot in on the paralyzed Ranma. As Kuno approached, Ranma was starting to feel like his nose would explode at any moment. He instinctively leaned away from Kuno's strike, but as he did so he caught another glimpse of Nabiki blinking at the scene before her.  
  
That triggered a very, very naughty thought from whatever had been streaming them into his brain.  
  
It was an alteration of the memory of Akane walking in on him. In this instance, Nabiki instead walked in on him, naked as the day she was born. After she blinked to make sure she wasn't seeing things, she grinned like a tiger eyeing fresh meat. She quickly exited the bathroom, then came back a few seconds later and approached him with that same hungry look.  
  
"Eep!" he squeaked as he weaved away from another slash. The pressure in his nose finally reached critical and his nose relieved the pressure by ejecting it out his nostrils.  
  
"Eyagh!!!" wailed Kuno as he was splattered by Ranma's blood.  
  
The sudden eruption of blood in the middle of the daily Kuno pounding brought startled gasps from all the students. In all the fights that had happened between Ranma and Kuno, no blood had ever been known to be spilt. There were also questions of what had caused the sudden eruption of blood just now.  
  
The possibility that the resident Ice Queen might have been the cause of it wasn't even considered.  
  
Ranma finally dropped the picture and nailed the lamenting Kendoist with a hard kick to the temple. As the older boy did his usual crumple to the ground, Ranma weaved around him to stand face to face with Nabiki. He noted that she was crumpling up the picture he had been staring at, for reasons he did not know.  
  
Reasons he would get out of her later.  
  
Nabiki had to fight down the urge to cackle with glee as she crushed the photo. It had been a source of major vexation for her for the last three years, the one ace Kuno had up his sleeve in their dealings. Now that it was gone, she had all the leverage in any future negotiations.  
  
She almost felt a dint of pity for her classmate, but then she remembered he probably deserved whatever would happen.  
  
As she came back to herself, she noted Ranma staring at her in statuesque curiosity. Remembering that they were in public prevented Nabiki from hugging him in joy. She did smile a little bit, the real smile that didn't hold any false cheer and happiness.  
  
The one that didn't scare the living daylights out of Ranma.  
  
"So," Ranma began, "just what was that picture about?"  
  
Nabiki quickly scanned the area and decided they were too out in the open to be discussing such things so freely. "Sorry, Ranma-kun," she replied, "but I'm not too comfortable speaking about such things here. Maybe when we're at home?"  
  
Ranma nodded and said, "Alright by me, I don't wanna be late."  
  
And with that, the two quickly headed inside.  
  
- - -  
  
School had passed uneventfully, save for Ranma's outburst of laughter at what happened to Akane on her way to school. She had been mad, rightfully so, but she decided against whacking him. She could feel that things were changing between Ranma and Nabiki, and if she wanted to keep Ranma she would have to make sure he felt that being with her was better.  
  
She didn't think Nabiki had any real chance against her.  
  
After all, Akane was the one who boys fell all over themselves trying to get a date with. Nabiki always had to convince any boy to go out with her, at which point she would drain him dry. She was convinced that Nabiki's newfound interest in Ranma stemmed from jealousy that Akane had someone and she didn't.  
  
Ranma wasn't exactly rolling in yen, so her interest couldn't be monetarily.  
  
All she had to do was to make sure Ranma understood that she was obviously the best choice of all the Tendo girls. He didn't know that she couldn't cook, but she didn't think it was that important to him. After all, if he was looking for someone to cook for him 24/7, he would have chosen Kasumi and been done with it.  
  
Kasumi was, of course, the perfect housewife by almost anyone's standards.  
  
Her resolve bolstered, Akane glanced over at her sister, whom was humming a slightly content melody. She still knew that she had to be wary of Nabiki, as no one had a real clue as to just how deceitful she could be. She resisted the urge to snap at her older sister, knowing that she could not compete in the verbal arena with her.  
  
Her own sister was now an obstacle to her relationship with Ranma, a wholly sour feeling coming over her.  
  
It wasn't as if she wanted to be with Ranma, but there was no way she would accept used goods in a fiancé. She knew Ranma would lose that boyish innocence he had if Nabiki sunk her claws into him. While she may not love him, she did not want to see the pig-tailed boy totally annihilated by Nabiki's callous nature.  
  
She just couldn't allow that.  
  
- - -  
  
Meanwhile back at Furinkan, Kuno was coming to grips with another defeat at the hands of Ranma. He could not get his head around the fact that the pig-tailed devil had once again deflected his wrath. How could he continue to lose to this, this inferior, ill-bred cur?  
  
Was it black magic?  
  
'Nay,' he thought, ' 'twas not magic the fiend used today. I witnessed with my own eyes that the wretch bled like any normal man.'  
  
He stood alone in the field that had served as many a battleground between him and the sorcerous Saotome. He and this foul dog, both battling for the affections of the pure and beauteous Tendo Akane, were to engage in epic battles their peers would tell their grandchildren of. But those epic battles were scoffed and at scorned. The Blue Thunder, defeated and dismissed by this honorless fiend? The very idea of it!  
  
Of course, it seemed to be an idea tossed around rather frequently.  
  
"Am I not Blue Thunder?!" he roared in frustration, "Am I not the man destined to be with the pig-tailed girl and Tendo Akane? Am I not the tool of the heavens' vengeance? Oh, ye gods, ye who know and see all, tell me what I must do to defeat Saotome Ranma!"  
  
A loud bang from something crashing nearby scared the ranting Kendoist from his reverie.  
  
"That startled me," he gasped, hand held protectively to prevent his heart's escape, "That's it! I must find what that wretch fears most, then use it against him. If he is overcome by fear, then I shall smite him while he is idle. Ye gods, o ye most wonderful gods, I thank thee for the means to smite that blasphemous dog!"  
  
And so he laughed, on and on, not really noticing the object heading for him…..  
  
SHWAP!!  
  
"Sorry," called one of Furinkan soccer players, whom had been practicing with a ball.  
  
"That hurt you know," Kuno informed him before he collapsed.  
  
- - -  
  
Ranma, currently female thanks to a random stranger tossing water out, bound over the rooftops of Nerima. She was currently in search of a manga shop to pick up her friendship gift for Nabiki. She silently told herself that she would be out looking for gifts for Akane or Kasumi if she wanted to, that this act wasn't as significant as others may place on it.  
  
She only hoped that Akane wouldn't get too jealous.  
  
It wasn't that she cared what Akane thought, it was just that she didn't want Akane to get upset. On most things, Akane would just say something snappy back or do something reactionary. There were a few times where he, sometimes she, had said something that hurt very deeply.  
  
When Akane cried, it made Ranma feel weak and small.  
  
Then again, most girls crying in his presence threw him off kilter. It was a weakness Ranma could not find an answer for just yet, but she was bound and determined to overcome it. But it had hurt to see the unshed tears in Akane's eyes during his wild match with Ryoga.  
  
It was the main reason that he had been so apologetic about things afterwards.  
  
It was something that confused her, as people tended to believe her when she was a girl, rather then she was a guy. She wasn't sure if Akane would have been so upset if she had been male during that time, and maybe she'd still have long hair. She had been glad that Akane shortened her hair, as it defined her as her own person, rather then a girl trying to be her older sister.  
  
Because if Ranma was going to fall in love with someone, they had to be their own person.  
  
And again, Ranma found herself at odds. She was falling for Nabiki more and more as the days went by, but she couldn't let go of the budding feelings she had for Akane. She implored the heavens once more on why she was so damned to be torn between two girls.  
  
One whom she was engaged to, the other her older sister and new found friend.  
  
She would have continued her silent debate with the sky, but she spotted a small manga shop on the street below. Hopping down, she landed daintily in front of the shop. She was glad that she was in her female form, as she would avoid embarrassing questions of why a guy might be looking at girly manga.  
  
She deftly opened the door and ducked inside before anyone could see her. It wasn't that she had anything to fear about being teased for going to the shop, it was that she had no desire to deal with either Kuno sibling or Ryoga. After waiting by the door for a few minutes and making sure none of the aforementioned people sprang out, Ranma-onna relaxed and started browsing.  
  
She quickly scanned the first shelf she came to and snagged a manga book. "Ai Yori Aoshi," she said, reading the title aloud to confirm if it was on the list.  
  
Ranma quickly flipped through the book, getting the gist of the story. "Hmmm, must be the romance in it," she muttered, also noting the slight comical nature of the story. As she put it back, she made a small comparison between Aoi and Nabiki, as well as pondering how Nabiki would look dressed like Aoi.  
  
Scanning the shelves once more, she quickly found another title that appeared to be on the list. "Ah! My Goddess," she said, confirming the title was on her mental list.  
  
Once more, she sped through reading it, gaining a basic understanding of the plot. "Wow, the romance is kinda deep in this one," she surmised, placing it back on the shelves. "Maybe that's how Nabiki felt she first learned that I was coming, something that you might want so bad, but are afraid it's too good to be true." She chuckled, wondering just when she became so philosophical.  
  
Back to scanning once more, he came across yet another title. "Crest of the Stars," she read aloud, admiring the poetic feel of the title.  
  
She quickly scanned the manga, once again obtaining a baseline understanding of the plot. "Another romance title, but it really hits home in its characterization," she decided, placing it back on the shelf. She could easily see the dynamic of Jinto and Lafiel's relationship could also apply to the budding one between herself and Nabiki. On one hand, you had a boy, sometimes girl, who was clueless to the modern materialistic world. On the other, you had the very picture of the modern material girl, fierce, independent and smart.  
  
"That hits kinda close to home," she said, making note of where it was as she looked for another title on the list.  
  
"Get Backers," she said, reading the title aloud. "Hiro and Dai liked this one, though I would think something more perverted would be their style."  
  
She quickly scanned through the manga, once more gaining an inkling to the plot. "Heh, she can probably relate to their pursuit of money, what with the schemes she runs to keep the dojo afloat," she mused, placing it back on the shelf. "Maybe if I was a little smarter we could be like the two guys in that, thinking up schemes to make money."  
  
Going back to searching, Ranma quickly found the next one on the list. "Hellsing, brr," she said, remembering some of the more graphic scenes of the anime she had watched.  
  
The manga turned out to be far different from the anime, there was a lot more drama to it than she had thought possible of it. "Hmmm, it has almost no romance to speak of. It's over-the-top violent, and deals with a lot of supernatural stuff. Maybe she can relate to Ceras becoming something different all of a sudden. Kinda like her emotions emerging from behind her wall," she commented, still not sure if this was something that she should get for Nabiki.  
  
She placed it back on the shelf and went back to her browsing. "Neon Genesis Evangelion… hoo boy. If this anything like the anime, then this will be a real doozy to read," she muttered to herself, opening the book and starting her scan of it.  
  
Ranma's early estimation of the NGE manga was proven to be wrong, as it showed the first encounter with the angel in a different light. "I'll be damned, Shinji seen his mother before it went berserk. Somehow, it makes more sense that way, like his mother's spirit was watching over him from inside Unit 01. I could see how she could connect to that," she mused, remembering the memorial shrine to the late Mrs. Tendo out in the dojo.  
  
She put it back the manga, sure that she probably wasn't going to get that one. Back to her search once more, she quickly found the last name on her list. "Revolutionary Girl Utena," she read, making sure that this was on the list.  
  
She did her quick scan again, gaining an inkling of plot. "Hmmm, not so much romance as it is not fitting in but wanting to. I can see how Nabiki might relate to that," she muttered, remembering some of Nabiki's business practices and how few friends she had seen her have.  
  
"Ok," she said, as she place Utena back on the shelf, "what should I get?" She quietly scanned the shelves, before she came to her decision.  
  
"This one is perfect," she said, as she pulled it from the shelf. She checked to make sure she had enough to pay for it and headed to the counter.  
  
"Good afternoon, miss," the clerk said politely, "You find what you want alright?"  
  
"Yeah." Ranma said, nodding her head as she placed the manga on the counter.  
  
"Hmmm, nice choice," the clerk complimented, before naming the price.  
  
Ranma paid the man, received her change and headed out with her purchase. She felt oddly content with her effort, a nice warmth that made her feel a little happier then she was earlier. As she bound over the rooftops, she thought about all that she and Akane had been through during the first month of their engagement.  
  
She worried that Nabiki might not be able to handle that.  
  
That was her biggest fear about her budding relationship with Nabiki, because if it became something more, she was afraid that Nabiki might get hurt. It was the one thing that scared her about Akane, as that belt of Ryoga's could have done something more then trim her hair. She couldn't understand why either girl would want to be with someone who attracted so much trouble, but maybe she would some day.  
  
That the ability to attract trouble being a possibility was not even considered.  
  
Deciding to push that from her mind, she began planning on how she was going to give it to Nabiki without offending Akane. It wasn't that Akane got upset over every little thing, it just seemed that now things that deal with him set her off more then Kuno used to. Akane was bound to be a little jealous, but she would try to break it to her as gently as she could.  
  
Words might penetrate her anger, if today was any indication.  
  
She smiled, for once feeling blessed to have been dragged to the Tendos by her pop. All three of them were cute in their own way, of course, but now she was starting to notice Nabiki a little more. She still wondered if she was wise to not speak up and let the elder sisters dump Akane onto her, but she wouldn't worry about that now.  
  
Not being bludgeoned by the fathers about being Akane's fiancé worked wonders for that.  
  
Figuring that she had done enough ruminating on that, she decided to wonder about that picture she had seen. She wondered just what the story was behind it, as she never would have pegged Nabiki as a flasher. Giggling slightly at that, she made a quick mental comparison between Nabiki and Akane, before she caught herself and blushed.  
  
Maybe she was a pervert, but until she did something real bad, she wouldn't feel guilty about it.  
  
She continued on as she raced for the Tendo compound. As she leaped across from one roof to another, she caught a glimpse of a Chinese boy wandering around like he was lost. She decided to ignore him, as she wanted to get home and change back.  
  
It was a good thing she didn't, because the Chinese boy may have been inclined to attack her, irregardless of name.  
  
- - -  
  
Mu Tsu was in hell. He had lost track of Xian Pu shortly after she left to pursue that girl. The pain of being away from his beloved was almost more than he could bear, not that he felt all that great to begin with. He had awoken from a deep slumber to find himself in a foreign land, which did not help him too much.  
  
Not to mention the month-long gap in his memory wasn't helping all that much.  
  
He continued to search for his beloved, ignoring the looks of puzzlement directed at him by the locals. He resented the fact that was swimming in a sea of Outsiders. These heathens could not understand the depth of his love for Xian Pu, nor would they understand his devotion to her.  
  
Not that Xian Pu understood or cared about those feelings either.  
  
As he walked along, he suddenly heard a voice yell, "{Mu Tsu!}"  
  
Quickly, he whirled around and gasped, "{Har Karu?}"  
  
The petite brown-haired girl grinned brightly and said, "{So you can remember another girl's name. I bet Xian Pu will be suitably jealous now.}"  
  
The raven-haired Chinese boy ignored the jab at his beloved and asked, "{What are you doing here?}"  
  
"{Elder Khu Lon sent me to track down Xian Pu and get her progress with the red-haired outsider girl}," Har Karu replied curtly.  
  
"{Xian Pu's progress?}" he asked, before grabbing his head and collapsing to his knees.  
  
A great shadow towered over him, causing him to cower in fear. "Your beloved Xian Pu has failed to kill the pig-tailed girl, and was defeated by a male name Saotome Ranma," it stated, its eyes burning with light. "She has failed in her attempt to make him her husband and is close to giving up for good on him."  
  
"{Uaaaahhh!!}" the boy exclaimed as a memory was roughly shoved to the surface.  
  
"{Mu Tsu, what is wrong?}" the girl asked worriedly, as the tall boy suddenly crumbled to his knees.  
  
"{X-X-Xian P-P-Pu has been defeated by an outsider male named Saotome Ranma. She has failed to marry him as our law states, and even now is close to giving up on carrying out her duty}," Mu Tsu stuttered, shock, anger and disbelief warring within him.  
  
"{She has what? How do you know this, male?}" Har Karu demanded imperiously. How dare this near sighted buffoon suggest Xian Pu would give up on her duties.  
  
"{It's the truth. She told me herself before she ran off to hide. I was too stunned to follow}," the boy quickly lied, not wanting to say some mysterious shadow had told him.  
  
"{I-I Must report this to Elder Khu Lon at once!}" the girl exclaimed, bowing to the boy quickly. "{I thank you for this information.}"  
  
Mu Tsu nodded and said, "{I shall try to locate Xian Pu again. Give Elder Khu Lon my best.}" With that, the boy turned away and began taking notes of his surroundings.  
  
The brown-haired girl turned around and leaped back up on top of the rooftops. She had to move with the greatest speed, or else the Elder would punish her for making her wait. She knew where Xian Pu was now, and once the Elder knew, she would place Xian Pu in her place.  
  
It would be grand to see that arrogant bimbo taken down a few pegs.  
  
- - -  
  
Ranma arrived home a little later, hiding her cargo until the time was right to unveil it. She looked around, making sure that no one in the house knew she was back just yet. She quickly slipped inside, deciding that no one was going to jump out and attack her.  
  
With the kind of life she lead, no one would blame her for being overly cautious.  
  
Once she was inside, she decided to announce her arrival and yelled, "I'm home!"  
  
"Welcome home, Ranma-chan," came the usual call from Kasumi, "You're just in time for dinner."  
  
"Great, 'cause I'm starvin'," the girl replied, hurriedly making her way from the door towards the guestroom to hide her gift.  
  
"And just where did you go?" Akane asked, managing to make herself sound less accusatory and more concerned.  
  
"Just went out to look around," Ranma replied in passing, hoping to avoid being stopped and asked about what she was carrying.  
  
"Ok," Akane said, deciding to let Ranma go before she asked what she was carrying.  
  
Ranma sighed in relief that she wasn't being asked about the bag she had. She'd rather wait to answer that so she could head off any potential fights that might come. She thought Akane was a nice and sweet enough girl, but her insecurities made themselves known at the worst times.  
  
If only she could find a way to deal with them that didn't involve shouting.  
  
'At least,' the red-head mused, 'she didn't hit me for laughing at her earlier. I had been avoiding really ticking her off lately, but I would've thought that she would've gone off at that.'  
  
She made it to her room without further incident and hid the bag quickly. She hoped her father wouldn't get rid of it or anything, as it wasn't something she wanted to keep. Deciding to burn that bridge when she came to it, she quickly exited her room, heading for the kitchen to commandeer some hot water.  
  
After all, she wanted to be a guy when she gave Nabiki the manga.  
  
She wasn't sure why that would be so, but she decided that she could think of it after the fact had gone down. Deep introspection could be done on the roof or before she went to the bed, she didn't need to dull her reflexes by preoccupying her mind on such trivial matters. Glad to have gotten that resolved, she leaped down the stairs.  
  
Narrowly missing landing on Akane by just a few centimeters.  
  
"Hey, watch it, you jerk!" Akane groused, upset that Ranma was already done with whatever she was doing in her room.  
  
"Sorry, didn't see ya there Akane," Ranma called over her shoulder, already jogging towards the kitchen.  
  
'That jerk, how could she not have seen me,' Akane silently huffed as she glared at the receding back of her erstwhile fiancé, 'Unless…. she had her mind on other things when she jumped.'  
  
Akane felt a flash of both dread and anticipation. She wondered just why she would feel like that, then she remembered the bag Ranma had been carrying. 'That has to be it,' she thought, 'I'm anticipating that whatever it is, it's for me. But, I'm also dreading that it might not be for me. But who else would Ranma be buying gifts for?'  
  
A brief image of Nabiki flashed through her mind.  
  
'That's right,' she silently admitted as she padded after Ranma, 'Whatever has changed their relationship might motivate Ranma to get something for Nabiki instead of me.' She was surprised at the jealousy and depression that ran through her at that thought.  
  
'Stop it, I do not love that egotistical jerk,' she silently reprimanded herself, 'I am not jealous over the fact that he might not have brought me a random present.'  
  
"Thanks, Kasumi-chan," Ranma's voice cut into her mental scolding, recently restored to his male form. He handed her back the kettle.  
  
"No problem, Ranma-kun," Kasumi replied as she took the kettle and handed him a towel to dry off with.  
  
Ranma turned around and nearly ran Akane over. "Oops, sorry Akane," the boy said, still toweling off as he moved around her.  
  
Akane bit down on her angry retort, silently reminding herself off her plan to save Ranma from Nabiki's machinations. "Ah, it's ok Ranma, I wasn't paying attention," the sometimes short-tempered girl said, looking off to the side, as though she were afraid of upsetting him.  
  
Her admission of wrong-doing on her part did nothing to calm the pig-tailed boy, if anything, it made him more edgy about being around her. As things shifted between him and Nabiki, he was wary of Akane's feelings. No matter how much they may have antagonized each other since they met, Ranma did not want to hurt Akane's feelings too much.  
  
After all, he really couldn't consider himself much better then his father if he didn't have regards for other people's feelings.  
  
Realizing that Akane was staring at him, he gave her a curt nod and finished drying off. He headed for the dojo, but felt Akane still following him. He wasn't sure if she wanted to spar or just annoy him, but he wasn't going to snap at her.  
  
"Akane, why are you following me?" he asked, trying not to sound as annoyed as he felt.  
  
"I'm just curious about what you were up to, you don't have to bite my head off," she said defensively.  
  
"And posing the question instead of following me like puppy never occurred to you?" he tiredly asked, his hope to get by without fighting with Akane evaporating in front of his eyes.  
  
Akane could see where this was headed and bit down on her usual retort and said, "I can't be concerned about my fiancé?"  
  
Ranma narrowed his eyes and said, "You can, but following me around like a dog is not the way to do it. If you're concerned, ask me like a normal person."  
  
Akane winced at that, as he had caught her trying to make it look like he was at fault. Fighting down the urge to hit him, she said somewhat strained, "I see. So are you implying that I have no right to follow you around, but you're welcome to follow me around like a dog whenever you want?"  
  
"Damn it Akane, that's not it," Ranma snapped, growing tired of this endless blame game, "How is it that every time we seem to talk about something, it never stays on that and deteriorates into who's right and who's wrong?"  
  
Akane reeled as though struck, as Ranma not only stood up to her but had effectively shifted the blame back to her. Her mind raced for some refutation of Ranma's words, but she could not really think of any. She continued to stare blankly at the pig-tailed boy, unnerving him by the way he started to fidget under her gaze.  
  
"Are we done, 'cause I want to get some practice in before dinner." Ranma said, his tone indicating that he was saying it to be polite.  
  
Akane nodded and watched as Ranma turned and left. Her heart sank at the thought that she was having difficulty just speaking to him. 'Is this how it really is,' she silently questioned herself, 'Is this how it appears to everyone else? That we're a couple of immature people who can't get past it all?'  
  
She suddenly had the urge to lay down for a bit, as she figured she could think better off her feet.  
  
- - -  
  
Ranma was in for a surprise as he found Nabiki studying what appeared to be her family's school scrolls. Since she didn't appear to notice him yet, he silently padded over to another corner of the dojo and started his warm-ups. Part way through, he began to feel as though he was being watched. Slowing down, he looked over his shoulder and noticed that Nabiki was studying him with her usual appraising eye.  
  
It didn't bug him like it did when Akane did it.  
  
Why that was, Ranma did not have a clue to. Maybe it was the fact that she didn't seem jealous of what he could do, but rather respected his skills. However faint, he could feel a dull warm thrum through him as she watched him, one that was rather distracting in its own fashion.  
  
As long as she didn't do while he was fighting, then she could gawk at him to her heart's desire.  
  
Nabiki, finally finishing her appraisal of him, cleared her throat to get his attention. While she didn't feel the need to relearn the art, it would give her an excuse to talk to Ranma more. She didn't think he'd go gaga over her if she did, but she figured that the more time spent with him is a good thing.  
  
It sure beat sitting alone in her room, idly thinking about him.  
  
"Yeah, Nabiki?" Ranma asked, glad that she didn't seem to be scrutinizing him anymore.  
  
"Ranma, I'm sure you're wondering why I'm out here in the dojo studying the family scrolls, right?" Nabiki asked in response.  
  
"Yeah, you never really showed too much enthusiasm about the Art before," he said, acknowledging her point.  
  
"Well, I was thinking of first finding a good regimen to help myself get into shape," she admitted, "but I also decided I need to brush up on my self-defense."  
  
"I guess I can see where that might be beneficial," he agreed, a slight image of Nabiki being in danger and her needing to defend herself flitting through his mind.  
  
"So," she said, pausing for effect and to gather her nerves, "I was wondering if you could help me out."  
  
"Help you how?" he immediately questioned. No matter how nice she had been, it was still Nabiki he was dealing with.  
  
"Help, as in give me a few pointers here and there, nothing too embarrassing for either of us, I assure you." she stated simply.  
  
"Why me? Why not ask your father? I mean, he would be a better teacher than me," he said, admitting inferiority if only because he knew next-to nothing about the Tendo-ryu.   
  
"Don't sell yourself short, Ranma-kun," she replied with a grin, "besides, I don't know how long Daddy is going to be around."  
  
"Huh? You don't mean…" he said, a little uneasy.  
  
Nabiki giggled a bit and said, "Nothing like that, it's just that I think Daddy is planning something."  
  
"Something like a training trip?" he asked.  
  
"Exactly," she said, "and since Daddy may be going away for a while, and I don't want anything to do with your father, that leaves you."  
  
"I wouldn't trust you to Pop either," he said, shivering slightly, "I wouldn't be surprised if you wanted to kill him after the first night of training. What, with his girls are too weak to learn the Art and bull like that attitude."  
  
"Indeed, I wouldn't be surprised If I did either," she said, stifling a second giggle, "Now how about we get started."  
  
"Sure thing, Nabiki-san," he said respectfully, coming over to her to get a look at the scrolls.  
  
As the two trained, an ethereal pair of eyes watched them from above. The eyes watched in admiration as the boy respectfully taught the girl, instead of being a chauvinistic pig like his father. The eyes watched with much the same admiration as the girl began to recapture what she had lost by years of inactivity.  
  
The eyes moistened but did not weep.  
  
Back on the mountain, the ghost form of Tendo Kimiko smiled at the sight her eyes were feasting upon. It filled her with a sense of satisfaction to see her middle daughter filled with the same vigor that she had in her youth. The sight was familiar to Kimiko, as she had asked Soun to train with her on the very first day they had met.  
  
"In this short time I have gotten to know all of you, I have learned just how amazing you all really are," the ghost said, her voice whispering on the mountain winds.  
  
Her vision switched to Kasumi in the kitchen, making dinner once more. "Ah, my darling, sweet little Kasumi, how much you have grown since I passed away. You have sacrificed much, daughter, but you did so willingly. You will make a lucky man a very good wife someday, but I hope that is sooner than later. I love you very much my eldest, never forget that."  
  
It then switches to Akane alone on her bed, trying to sort out Ranma. "Akane, my little girl and baby, oh how I wished I could have been there for you during those hard years. You've grown so much, but on the inside so little. It hurts me to have to break you apart from Ranma, but I want you to find who makes you happy, not who you can argue with the most."  
  
It goes to Nabiki, working on her kicks with Ranma. "Nabiki, my sweet little Nabiki, you grew up faster than your sister and grew to resent doing it. Now, I hope you see that it wasn't in vain. I hope you can loosen up and share the feelings you stymied for so long. No matter what anyone else thinks, you are a wonderful girl, and I am proud of you."  
  
The vision swirls over to Ranma, holding up the bag for Nabiki to kick. "Saotome Ranma… when I first saw what Akane's future with you would be like, I wanted to hate you. I wanted to drive you away from my daughters, I wanted to make you hurt for what I saw. But there was one thing I couldn't deny, and that is that you were mostly blameless for the struggles you and she had went through. I saw that you were a person of strong conviction, a man of unwavering loyalty who did not stray from Akane's side. While I have taken steps to do just that, it is for my family as a whole that I do that, not because I am spiteful. I would have enjoyed meeting you Saotome Ranma, of that I am certain."  
  
Lastly, the vision swirls to Soun, sitting just inside the kitchen and chatting with Kasumi. "Soun, my beloved husband and greatest friend, I still miss you. There is not a day that goes by that I do not long for your embrace, not a day goes by that I don't wish I didn't leave you. You loved me, almost too much, and it nearly destroyed you and our daughters. Now, you're better and everyday you take a step towards regaining that which you lost in your sorrow. I love you, my beloved, and I will tick away the days until you join me in the heavens."  
  
In the kitchen, Soun looks around, as though he could hear his wife speaking. Thinking he was just hearing things, he turned around and paid attention to what Kasumi was saying again. Then, just as he settling back into listening to her, he felt a gust of wind that tickled his cheek. Looking in that direction, he saw a fading image of his dear wife, smiling at him.  
  
"I love you too…" he murmured to himself, his mind awash with images of his wife once more.  
  
The taint of sorrow had finally been erased from Soun's mind, the joy and love he felt when she was with him flowed strong once more.  
  
Kasumi continued to work on dinner, smiling to herself as she heard her father's murmur. She had a feeling he wasn't talking to her, but that was okay. She was quite sure her father was talking to her mother, something he did not do before.  
  
It was something of a relief to Kasumi.  
  
Memories of the departed Tendo Matriarch often sent her father into hysterics. With his recent rebound, his crying jags have all but disappeared. She was happy to have her father, the kind, compassionate man of her first nine years of life. She put the final touches on the meal, she couldn't help but think of all that had happened in the past few days.  
  
Dinner was going to be an interesting affair……  
  
End chapter 5.  
  
Musabetsu Kakutou Ryu no Bakasawagi - Indiscriminate grappling school of Horseplay.  
  
Kanashii Piero Higi: Hohoemi Bakudan: Sad Clown Secret Technique: Smile Bomb  
  
Teaser for Chapter 6:  
  
It was dinner time at the Tendo compound. At no other time of the day could you figure out what was going on amongst the residents than at dinner. For example, if you wanted to know the mood of the residents, you need but observe them at dinner. Posture, participation in conversation, whom they were conversing with, and which way they were glancing would be the usual indicators.  
  
Nothing else seemed to work as well.  
  
In any event, this dinner was a microcosm of everything that had gone on. Ranma and Nabiki freely discussed plans for ideal training times, while Akane stared at Ranma somewhat longingly. Genma was encouraged by Akane's show of interest, but failed to rally Soun into decisive action. Meanwhile, Soun was contemplating the best way to tell his family of his plans.  
  
'Might as well just tell them outright,' he mused.  
  
Clearing his throat to get their attention, Soun said, "My family, I have an important announcement to make. As you may well know, I have begun recovering from my grief. Recently, I have started to seriously practice again. After that workout session, I feel there is something."  
  
"What's that Father," Kasumi asked, prompting him to go on.  
  
"And that something is, I must leave for my own training trip, to rediscover just who Tendo Soun is and what does he want in life." He stated firmly, looking around the table at each and everyone.  
  
"That sounds like a good idea, Tendo-san," Ranma said, nodding in agreement.  
  
"Thank you for your kind words, Ranma-san, it does an old man good to hear encouragement from a peer in the Art," Soun said, nodding his head in thanks, "But there is more."  
  
"More?" Nabiki prompted.  
  
"Yes, as when I return from my trip, I want to reopen the dojo and start teaching again." he stated solemnly, his eyes once more looking over the table. 


	6. One Uneventful Night

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is the property of Viz Communications and Rumiko Takahashi, I make nothing from this, so don't be an asshole and sue me. You won't get much from me.

Author Notes: Well it's chapter 6, so I must be doing something right. More important plot elements come to the forefront this chapter, as I remember more and more of the characters and figure out just what in the blue blazes of hell I want to do with them. Mwahahahahahahahaha!! starts coughing rapidly. Sorry, I'll start the story now. hits the switch on the projector, bringing up the title screen.

First I Giveth

Chapter 6: One Uneventful Night

By Marik Kurakashi

It was dinner time at the Tendo compound. At no other time of the day could you figure out what was going on amongst the residents than at dinner. For example, if you wanted to know the mood of the residents, you need but observe them at dinner. Posture, participation in conversation, whom they were conversing with, and which way they were glancing would be the usual indicators.

Nothing else seemed to work as well.

In any event, this dinner was a microcosm of everything that had gone on. Ranma and Nabiki freely discussed plans for ideal training times, while Akane stared at Ranma somewhat longingly. Genma was encouraged by Akane's show of interest, but failed to rally Soun into decisive action. Meanwhile, Soun was contemplating the best way to tell his family of his plans.

'Might as well just tell them outright,' he mused.

Clearing his throat to get their attention, Soun said, "My family, I have an important announcement to make. As you may well know, I have begun recovering from my grief. Recently, I have started to seriously practice again. After that workout session, I feel there is something I must do."

"What's that Father," Kasumi asked, prompting him to go on.

"And that something is, I must leave for my own training trip, to rediscover just who Tendo Soun is and what does he want in life." He stated firmly, looking around the table at each and everyone.

"That sounds like a good idea, Tendo-san," Ranma said, nodding in agreement.

"Thank you for your kind words, Ranma-san, it does an old man good to hear encouragement from a peer in the Art," Soun said, nodding his head in thanks, "But there is more."

"More?" Nabiki prompted.

"Yes, as when I return from my trip, I want to reopen the dojo and start teaching again." he stated solemnly, his eyes once more looking over the table.

And that was when chaos erupted once more.

Excited chatter sprang up across the table. Conversations were forgotten and left by the wayside thanks to this new development. What was the beginning of a nice, peaceful meal, was now a bundle of noisy chatter and wild speculations.

It was rather refreshing to Soun.

During the past few days, as he was putting Soun the overemotional bully to rest, he reflected several times on his action of the past ten years. He was thoroughly ashamed of himself how he acted, crying at the drop of a hat and other such things. This was the right thing to do, as he had to make it up to his daughters.

They deserved no less than this.

Nabiki cut in to his daydreaming as she stated, "Starting the dojo up again is a fantastic idea, Daddy. Not only will it help with the finances, it will also get people interested in coming here, which can only increase class sizes for when Ranma starts."

"An excellent point, Nabiki-chan," Soun said, a slight smile crossing his face. "It wouldn't do to expect Ranma to revive the dojo on his own, he has enough to worry about."

"You don't know the half of it," Ranma muttered, barely loud enough for anyone else to hear.

"True that I don't," Soun said, seriously but far from lecturing, "But perhaps you could fill me in sometime after I return from my trip?"

"Ah, sure Tendo-san," Ranma said, somewhat nervous at being caught. "I'd like that."

"Good," Soun replied, before turning to his old friend Genma, "I'm expecting you to behave yourself while I'm gone Saotome." His tone brooked no argument, the lack of an honorific meant he was deadly serious.

Genma blustered under his old friend's stern glare, something that was bringing up bad memories. Sweating profusely, Genma replied, "Of course Tendo. I would sooner give up the Art than bring trouble to your daughters."

"And what of your son, Saotome," Soun said gruffly, "Does he not get the same courtesy of my daughters?"

"Ah, er, well, yeah, I guess he does," the Saotome Patriarch replied, squirming under the collective gaze being placed on him.

Soun nodded and said, "There will be several conditions I will hold you to: One, no stealing food from your son. While I am gone, there will be more than enough food. Two, no stealing little portions from my daughters. I have seen you swipe some from them during breakfast, so don't try to deny it. Lastly, I expect you to be mindful not to cause any more problems while I'm away."

Genma paled at Soun's demands, knowing that his old friend meant everyone of them. If he assented, it would cut down on the amount he ate. But then, if he didn't, he knew that his old friend would then insist he come along, which was sure to cut back on his food intake. It wasn't really that hard to think about really.

"I will uphold these conditions," he said, before quickly naming one of his own. "I expect you to try your hardest to get back into shape. As such, I demand that when you feel you are ready, that you face me upon your arrival home."

"Agreed, Saotome-kun," Soun replied, his respect for the portly man growing again.

"Wow pop, you almost sounded kinda honorable for a second there," Ranma said in mock wonderment, "Maybe you can practice that more often?"

"Now listen here, boy," Genma huffed, "What I did on our training trip, I take no pride in. I admit I may have placed my comfort above your safety sometimes, but I say your turned out pretty well. I couldn't be more proud of how you turned out, even if you break your father's heart sometimes."

"More like your head," Ranma said, causing some laughter to erupt from the table.

Genma chuckled as well and joked back, "At least there isn't too much to hurt up there, right?"

A round of laughter greeted him, the loudest from Ranma himself. Glad that he had taken Soun's advice to try and be less pushy about things, Genma allowed himself a small smile. The tension that was there had quickly be snuffed out, allowing for the meal to resume more peacefully.

It would be the last time they would be gathered all together like this for a while.

- - -

Dinner had passed by without any further incident, something that wasn't surprising due to the revelations dropped during the meal. The almost peaceful atmosphere belied most of the other boisterous affairs that had taken place since the Saotomes arrival. Not that you would have heard any of them complain about it though, as they enjoyed the peaceful nature of the meal.

Maybe they could take steps to ensure all the meals went this well?

In any event, Nabiki was now in the dojo again, warming up while waiting for Ranma. He said he had something to get from his room for first, but Nabiki hadn't a clue what that could be. She decided that to focus on her warm ups, figuring that she would find out when Ranma came back.

Ranma, having fetched the manga, stopped at the door and watched Nabiki, scrutinizing her moves as she had done to him earlier. While she was out of practice with it, he could tell that she had at least some past training. He was thankful for that, as it meant that he wouldn't have to spend the time teaching her the basics.

Not that he couldn't have, just that it would have been more time consuming then it should be.

After a few more minutes of watching here, Ranma decided to make himself known. He didn't want to break her concentration, lest she injure herself. Setting the manga aside, he quietly padded over to Nabiki and began mimicking her warm-ups.

For her part, Nabiki was surprised that Ranma had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Deciding to not show that she was surprised, she put more effort into her warm-up katas. It wasn't all that shocking that Ranma adapted to her speed-up and even now looked as though he was about to explode into one of his more advanced katas.

Which is why she pulled to a stop.

Surprised by Nabiki's sudden stop, Ranma nearly fell on his face coming to a stop. Trying to save face, Ranma said, "So, I guess your warm-ups are done."

Nabiki smirked and said, "Yeah, I guess they are."

Ranma laughed nervously, feeling as though he had been caught doing something wrong. Shaking his head, he mustered up his courage and said, "Uh, before we begin, there's something I want to give you."

Nabiki arched an eyebrow and asked, "Something you want to give me?"

"Uh, yeah," Ranma said, heading over to pick up the manga from where he placed it earlier, "I went out and picked up a little gift to sort of celebrate our new friendship."

Her other eyebrow joined its brethren in the air as she asked, "And what would that be?"

"This." he said quietly, before handing her the manga.

Nabiki eyed the manga in shock, surprised that he would think of getting her something. It was strange, here was a boy she was admittedly interested in, and he had gotten her something without her having to cajole him into it. A pleasant warmth encompassed her, even if it was just a friendship gift.

"Thank you," she said, taking the manga and studying the title.

"I remembered you said you like to collect manga and I asked Kasumi if she knew which one you might like the most," he said, rubbing the back of his head in a nervous gesture, "So I looked around and picked that one out for you."

"I've been wanting to get this one of a while, thanks," she said offhandedly, putting the manga off to the side, "How about we get started?"

He nodded, grateful for the change in subjects. "Yeah," he said, "let's."

- - -

Meanwhile, Akane was once more in her room, planning out her strategy for saving Ranma from Nabiki. It was her duty as a martial artist to protect the weak, whether it be body, mind, or spirit. Ranma may be able to handle things in a physical fight, but Nabiki would never place it in the physical realm of combat.

If there was one weakness to Saotome Ranma, it was that he was too naïve for his own good.

Again, she denied her feelings for the boy, simply out of her desire to stay free and control her own destiny. It wasn't tough to do, just a lot more of a hassle than she would have thought. It was hard not to feel angry at the thought of Nabiki getting closer to Ranma, though she could hardly figure out why that was.

The fact that she may like Ranma, even a little, wasn't thought of.

She sighed, wishing for the umpteenth time that Ranma had never been dumped on her. Sure, he was nice guy, good-looking and honest, but he had a share of his faults that Akane wasn't sure she'd ever be able to fall for him. His lack of social skills, poor manners, and a knack for irritating her with just a simple gesture really made her wonder why any girl would be attracted to him.

But she already knew that answer.

It was the fact that he seemed to be someone who came out of a fairy tale, a Prince not-so-Charming to save the damsel in distress. He was someone that you could depend on, someone who would risk himself for you. He would that for anyone he deemed friend, woe be to his enemies or anyone who would threaten them.

Saotome Ranma, the kind of boy that should not be caged by anyone.

It was hard for her to think about him without feeling conflicted. Feeling such strong like and dislike for him was driving her nuts. There were so many things that she wanted to get straighten out, so many things that she wanted to say. But all those things she could not say, all those things she could not do.

It was beyond frustrating.

"Ranma," she said quietly, "just what am I to do with you?"

- - -

Nerima. It was just another district, just another boring town to Kuonji Ukyo. For the last couple years, she had seen more of Japan then anyone else living on the islands. All for her vengeance, all for her right to be a woman once more.

Those Saotome bastards would pay.

Her life had taken a turn for the worse ever since that fat jackass and his thieving son came into her life. Everyday, she would do her damnedest to protect her father's cart, and everyday she would fail. Her father always laughed and spouted some bullshit about the youth of Japan and give him an okonomiyaki as though the boy paid for it.

Was that her father's scam, give a free okonomiyaki to anyone who can humiliate his daughter?

It was her own personal hell. Sure, they got along when it didn't come to anything involving the cart, but she couldn't forgive the daily humiliation that he had given her. It was more than she could take, something she made quite clear to her father.

But the old fool didn't seem care.

He would always scarf it down on top of her, as though she would try to take it from him. Though she would find other ways to pay him back, the humiliation of having someone use her as a chair while they ate was difficult to get over. It was almost more than she could take.

Then it had happened.

She had jokingly suggested to her father that maybe she should be engaged to Ranma. It was a silly thought when she came up with it, but over time the little thief grew on her. He was nice and accepted her ranting about things without so much an argument. She seriously began to consider the engagement as something other than a joke.

Maybe she could shake him of that thieving habit.

But then that fat idiot had to go and steal her dowry. She knew it was a bad idea to brag about her impending engagement, as such she had endured the merciless teasing and hushed whispers about it. In her anger and hurt, she had vowed to prove herself to both her father and those jerks that she wasn't some frail girl who couldn't hack it.

And she believed she had succeeded.

Now that she was strong enough to get even, she would find them and have her revenge. Ten long, hard years of pain and humiliation would culminate in her oh so sweet revenge. She would soil the earth with the blood of that fat jackass and then she would move onto Ranma.

Oh how she looked forward to that day.

As visions of vengeance danced through her head, an enraged shout cut through her daydreams. "RANMA, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" The voice, distinctly male, shouted.

She turned her head and saw a boy in a tan shirt, black pants, and brown hiking boots. He was carrying an enormous backpack, which meant he traveled a lot. Adorning his head was a yellow tiger-striped bandanna, a curious accessory to be sure.

All in all, she would have to say he was kinda cute.

But the only problem is that he wanted to get in the way of her revenge on Ranma. She couldn't allow that to happen, as such she quickly tighten the binding on her chest. After reigning her breath into a deep pattern, Ukyo hefted her battle spatula and made ready to let this boy know just who was going to make Ranma pay.

"Hey now, what seems to be the problem?" she asked, grating her voice in a close approximation to a boy's.

The boy paused in his ranting and regarded the other person on this hill. After quickly taking in his companion's stock, the boy quickly asked, "Who're you?"

"Kuonji Ukyo," she said, shifting into a righteous pose with the spatula poised to strike, "I'm the best okonomiyaki chef in all of Japan. Now who are you?"

"Hibiki Ryoga," the boy replied, taking his own righteous pose, "I am on a quest to restore my honor after that coward Saotome ran away."

"Ran away?" she asked, an eyebrow arching.

"When we were in middle school, he used to always take my bread," he explained, "I got fed up with it and challenged him to a duel. I got lost and he left after waiting three days, so when I arrived on the fourth day, he wasn't there."

"So, now you want to finish it?" she asked, noting that this didn't bear weight against his belligerent yelling early.

"He just... did something to me, something that ruined my life." he mysteriously supplied.

"Is it so terrible that you can't say what it is?" she asked, confused at the lack of details.

"Yes," he said, bowing his head, "it's just too painful to reveal to a total stranger."

"If you won't answer, I won't press," she said, shouldering her battle spatula, "I will say, though, that I'm the one who will bring down that jackass Saotome. I will not allow anyone to get in the way of my revenge."

"What'd he ever do to you?" he asked, perplexed by the sudden declaration.

"Him and that fat, thieving bastard father of his stole my father's yattai and abandoned me on the side of the road," she said, "I have trained for ten years to get my revenge. I'm not letting some petty jackass get in my way."

"Hey!" the boy protested, fingering his umbrella, "I am _not_ petty!"

"You won't tell me the big, bad thing Ranma did to you, so all I have is that he took some bread from you," she said, slowly dropping into a ready stance, "That and the fact that he wasn't waiting for you four days after the day of the fight. How stupid do you have to be to be late to the duel, which _you_ challenged him to?"

"That's not it!" he roared back, "I can't help getting lost. It's something of a curse I've had all my life and that jerk knew about it and he still ran away."

"Did he promise to be waiting there?" she asked, her tone slightly mocking.

"Well, no, but-" he started.

"Then how in the hell did you actually expect him to just wait at the site for you while you ventured all over Japan, looking for the site _you_ chose?" she interrupted, all but snarling the words. "You see, you _are_ just a petty jackass who thinks he has a good reason but don't."

"Quit calling me a jackass, you jerk!" he roared, finally tiring of the insults.

"Make me, **jackass**!" she said, hopping back to allow the boy the first move.

Ryoga did just that, leaping forward and jabbing at his foe with his umbrella. Ukyo casually swatted that away and returned fire with an overhead smash. The boy blocked that and grinned wolfishly at his opponent before he threw a quick kick at her side, which she spun around.

After completing her spin, Ukyo swung for his back, but was stymied as Ryoga turned around after his kick missed. The two exchanged a rapid set of blows as they danced along the edge of the hill. Neither spoke as they fought, each silently agreeing to let their fighting do the talking.

Several more exchanges occurred, neither fighter gaining nor giving any ground. Their blows sang out into the night, each strike telling of the pain and humiliation they had been through. Ryoga's blows carried the weight of his sorrow and depression, each cacophonous bang screaming out about the unfairness of his life, to be regarded as a freak for something that was beyond his control.

Ukyo's blows, in contrast, cried out for the torment and anguish of being left behind by one deemed as friend. Her own raucous bangs wailing of a life of confusion and deception. Her face shown clearly, the determination of one who had denied their self, their own identity, all for the sake of revenge.

Her own fierce determination was matched by Ryoga's. He had staked everything on that duel, his one chance to redeem himself for his inability to stop that bread stealing punk Saotome. While Ranma, and now this Ukyo as well, may have been puzzled by his anger at having the bread stolen, he did not try to understand it from Ryoga's viewpoint.

No one ever did.

To Ryoga, that bread represented the finest of cuisines. He had lived a life of instant ramen and rice gruel. Often times though, he went hungry for days on end as he continued to try and find civilization once more. All of those who had it could not understand his pain, his agony, his hell.

And now to be mocked by this stranger who had some connection to Ranma?

It made Ryoga's blood boil, nearly to the point that Ranma could get it. How dare this stranger mock his pain, simply because he couldn't bring himself to tell a total stranger his darkest of secrets. With these thoughts burning through his mind, Ryoga upped the power he was placing into his blows.

He'd show this Ukyo that Hibiki Ryoga is not someone to mock.

Meanwhile, Ukyo silently seethed to herself as she continued to evade his strikes. How dare this, this, jerk try and say that he had suffered wrong at the hands of Ranma. How little did this obsessive moron know of what true wrong was.

'He stole my bread,' she silently mocked him, 'HA! As if that was something to challenge someone over!'

This sap obviously didn't know what hell was. To deny everything about yourself, your gender, even having to fake liking other girls just to avoid questions, that was hell. Having someone take bread from you and not wait for you four days after the appointed day of a duel was a cakewalk in comparison to some of the things she had endured. Her reason for fighting this moron had evolved from just clearing another obstacle from her path to vengeance.

She would make him pay for making light of her righteous quest.

For five long, hard years she trained against the sea. She was out there with her grill, trying to cook her okonomiyaki before the greedy sea could put the flames out. Over those five hard years, her body harden into a more manly physique. With the most crucial part of her disguise in place, she then went about going from school to school.

All for finding that jerk Saotome.

Due to her constant moving, her harsh training against the sea had died down over the last five years. She could easily practice on dry land, but they did not bring the same difficulty and sense of satisfaction as the sea did. But there were of course several consequences of her pulling herself away from the sea.

She had started to like girls.

Well not really, but she at least felt a small attraction to other girls. It was all part of her disguise as a guy, she had forced herself to like them, at least enough to go out with a few. It was another crime she charged that thieving jerk with, just another indignity that she would pound out of both him and that fat idiot.

Oh how they would pay.

Latching onto her anger, Ukyo burst forward and landed a solid smash to Ryoga's right shoulder. While it didn't do much damage, it did provide her with a tactical advantage. If there was one thing Ukyo taught herself over her trails, it was that the physical part only made up a third of the pie. Those who were weak minded or weak in spirit lost more than they won.

And if she judged this Ryoga jerk right, he was _very_ weak minded.

For his part, Ryoga cursed himself for being that lax in his guard. He should have blocked such a risky strike and then countered to end this confrontation. This boy he was fighting was close to Ranma, but he was less flashy and not much of a risk taker. In battle, Ranma was every bit the gambler, often wagering everything on a single strike.

And that lucky prick always seemed to break the house every time.

But this guy, his style was seemed to be the antithesis of Ranma's. While the pig-tailed youth's was wild, chaotic, and punished even the slightest mistake. In contrast, this Ukyo's style was more controlled, structured and was known to let a few openings slip by. Ryoga had to admit that this boy might actually give Ranma and work out, but there was no one who could defeat Ranma.

No one but Hibiki Ryoga that is.

Using a series of umbrella thrusts, Ryoga pushed his adversary back as he continued to think about things. Ranma had been the bar that he had measured himself against. Ranma had represented such an unspoken mastery of the martial arts that Ryoga knew he had to step up in his training. He would never settle for not being the best, would never settle for being second fiddle to anyone.

Certainly not to someone his own age.

Suddenly, his foe sprang back from him, putting a considerable distance between them. Caught off guard by this, he couldn't decided whether or not to pursue his opponent. His decision was made for him, as he had to quickly block three quick strikes with his umbrella.

'Spatulas?!' he thought incredulously, 'Who the hell throws spatulas?'

Apparently this Ukyo fellow did, as he followed up with another barrage, further ruining Ryoga's weapon. Snarling, Ryoga quickly hurled the umbrella at his nemesis in order to stave off another wave of spats. His foe caught off guard, he decided to introduce his own projectiles.

Reaching up, Ryoga quickly snatched off six bandanas from his seemingly endless one and spun them in one hand. Once he was certain that his opponent was off balanced, he let fly with his bandanas. Victory was well within his grasp, as this ledge was far too narrow to avoid the bandanas without injury.

Or so he thought.

Ukyo was faced with a dilemma. She couldn't jump to either side, nor could she jump back or duck down. The answer was quite clear though, as she took the only option available: jump over. With a nice leap, she completely cleared the bandanas and came down with a mighty overhand smash that flattened Ryoga.

Pausing to catch her breath, she noticed there was less shrubbery in the area then there was before Ryoga flung his bandanas. She smiled, as her danger sense had correctly identified the threat. Noticing her foe lumbering up, she retook a ready stance, tightening her grip in anticipation of this jerk trying to wrest it away from her.

Ryoga shook his head, trying to get rid of the ringing left in the wake of the blow. He had underestimated his opponent, even going so far as to forget that this guy just might be able to jump like Ranma. The stinging sensation on the top of his head served as a painful reminder of just how foolish he was.

He wouldn't forget that anytime soon.

He knew he was at a major disadvantage without his umbrella, which meant that he had to quickly figure out a way to either disarm his opponent or make the oversized spatula worthless to his opponent. He had to think quickly, something a lot of other people had snickered about not being a strong point for him. He noticed Ukyo draw himself up and increase his grip on his weapon, meaning that forceful disarmament was not an attractive option.

He had to think of something and fast.

For her part, Ukyo was wondering what the hell was taking this idiot so long to make his move. She had all but handed him the advantage on a silver platter and he just stood there. Obviously her guesses about him being none too bright had been right on.

A real pity, as he might have been someone worth getting to know if he wasn't an obsessive moron.

She snorted that thought away and began calculating her next move. He was unarmed, but his blows had carried a good deal of strength behind them. She was liable to lose any grapples with him; she had to be careful to avoid that type of situation. It appeared he didn't want to come at her, so she'd just have to come at him.

It was too bad that he didn't want the advantage, it would have made this fight a little more interesting.

Ryoga was shocked when Ukyo came charging in like an enraged bull. He wisely avoided his foe's blows, as he was still smarting from the last solid blow. He quickly revised his opinion of his opponent's skill, as it appeared that this Ukyo guy could do more than give Ranma a light workout.

Not that he'd win or anything, just that he may push Ranma farther than Ryoga ever had.

Ukyo was finding herself growing more and more tired of fighting this idiot. Without his umbrella, Ryoga seemed hesitant to strike back. What was an entertaining fight was quickly growing dull, as Ukyo effortlessly pushed Ryoga around.

'It's time to put an end to this,' she silently declared, 'but how?'

Pressing her advantage further, she quickly scanned the area for where she had left her pack. 'Not over there, not here, not there,' she thought, ticking off spots as she looked.

'Where-oh there it is!' she thought triumphantly. Now all she had to do was get to it.

With a yell, Ukyo burst forward in a flurry of action. She swung for his face, which caused the wanderer to hop back away from it. This proved to be a feint, however, as she promptly swept his feet from under him. As he caught himself, she slammed into him with an uppercut swing that sent him rolling towards the edge of the hill.

Ryoga just barely caught himself before he went over.

With the Hibiki boy down, Ukyo quickly hurried over to her pack and fished out a certain package. 'Heh, gunpowder and tempura flakes... No one would think I had the former on me.' she thought to herself.

She quickly hooked the end of it to her spatula and turned towards Ryoga, who was just getting to his feet. She quickly fished a lighter from her pocket and deftly lit the package ablaze. She quickly leapt up and quickly hurled the thing at Ryoga.

Ryoga, still slightly dazed from nearly being pitched of the hill, watched curiously as the package neared him. It started to spark and crackle as the flames ate through the casing. It was almost upon him when realized what the package was.

It was a bomb!

He cursed himself again for not taking Ukyo seriously since the fight began. His inability to attack all out had resulted in this mess he was in now. The bomb was almost in his face now, he could see the individual flakes sparking.

WHABBBBOOOOMMM!!!

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!" the boy screamed as he was blown from the hill.

"Hmph, serves the jackass right," Ukyo said as she gathered her things up, "After all, I and I only will bring Ranma to justice."

And so she walked on, her thoughts on how she would bring down Ranma. She had trained for this so long, it wasn't that hard to forget there were other things that she should worry about. Like what she would do with herself after her vengeance was attained. But that was a thought for another time, another place.

As she had done so many times before, Ukyo stood on her own two feet and walked on.

- - -

Morning came with little fanfare, and surprisingly little noise. Soun had awoken before dawn in order to avoid any long teary goodbyes. While he was no longer overly emotional, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was abandoning his daughters.

He hoped he would get over it quickly.

The patriarch of the Tendo Clan shouldered his pack, determined to get himself back to what he was before his beloved wife died. He owed her, owed his daughters, even owed himself too much not to get back into shape. Part of him whispered that he could do that at the dojo, that he didn't have to go.

But he dismissed that notion completely.

He may not cry and shout like he used to, but he felt like he was still worthless. While he was no longer overly emotional to the point of total embarrassment, he still wasn't pulling his weight around there. He could no longer sit around and play go or shogi with his old friend.

He would not be a burden to his precious little girls.

But they weren't so little anymore, as he had seen through unclouded eyes. For the past ten years, he had refused to believe that they would change at all. Up until a few days ago, he still viewed them as they were when his wife died.

It was probably the reason why they had trouble finding a suitable boyfriend before Ranma came along.

He had heard it said that every girl's first crush was her father. That may have been true for Kasumi, but he wasn't so sure about Nabiki or Akane. During the time when thoughts of love and such first entered their minds, he had not been a shining example of someone a girl would want to marry.

Looking back, he often wondered if he really ever was viewed by his daughters as the adult of the house, rather than the annoying guy who cries a lot.

Forcefully, he pushed such thoughts from his mind. He didn't need a relapse at this crucial point in his recovery. He would not fall back into that pitiful shell he was, not even HE could have broken him so completely.

Never again would he be Soun the annoying cry baby and raging bully!

He glanced up to the skies, silently thanking the deities above for this second chance that they had so graciously granted. He made sure that he would stop at a shrine before he continued his journey. But there was one stop he had to make before he could do that.

A local chiropractor that had a much whispered obsession with his eldest daughter.

To make sure Kasumi would be happy, Soun decided that he would take measure of this man that was so taken with her. He did wonder if the feelings were mutual, if Kasumi just didn't want to say anything for fear of abandoning her family. She was such a darling, a young woman that deserved to be made happy by her husband, as surely as she would make him happy.

After all she had endured, she deserved no less than a chance to have someone care for her instead.

His goal set, he continued on towards the clinic, rehearsing his speech as he went along. There was no telling how the young doctor might take what Soun was about to say. He could burst into one of his much talked about fits, or he could not and just celebrate like a normal man.

Soun hoped for the latter and vehemently swore against the former.

The door loomed large ahead of him, as he was about to do something for Kasumi without telling her. Kasumi, though a dear, often frowned upon surprises from her father. But then he couldn't blame her, as after nearly scaring her half to death for her tenth birthday, she didn't seem all that receptive to surprises that he would drop on her.

It would explain her apparent disinterest in the engagement.

After a quick sigh, Soun steeled himself and knocked on the door. While the clinic wasn't open this early, he knew that Dr. Tofu would at least be up and about at this time. The good doctor made it a point to keep good hours, as such he often had to go to bed early to meet said hours.

But if things went as Soun planned, the doctor may have to close up for a while.

The door quickly opened, revealing the young doctor. "Oh, Tendo-san, good morning," the doctor said, barely hiding the shock at seeing him this early in the morning.

"Morning, Tofu-san," the elder man replied, "May I come in? I have something I want to discuss with you."

"You do?" Tofu asked, before noticing the man's travel equipment, "Ah, ok, come in please."

"Thank you," Soun said, relieved that he'd at least be in the clinic before having to explain why he was there.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about Tendo-san?" the doctor queried, his tone implying that he didn't believe Soun was up this early just to talk to him.

"Well, it's about Kasumi," Soun began, when he curiously noticed the doctor's glasses fog over slightly.

"K-Kasumi! W-what about Kasumi?" Tofu stuttered, giving a slight laugh.

Soun frowned a bit, before he said, "I was wondering how you feel about her, son. You seem rather taken with her, but I want to hear it from your mouth."

At the completion of his sentence, Soun was treated to an odd reaction. Doctor Tofu immediately skipped across the room like a ballerina and began dancing with his medical skeleton. The Tendo patriarch, though shocked and more than a little disgusted by the display, could at least grudgingly admit that the doctor was at least able to dance.

It might be good for his relationship with Kasumi, provided the doctor ever calmed himself down enough to use this practice with a living person.

"Tofu-san!" the aging martial arts master bellowed, "Snap out of it this instant!"

If Tofu heard Soun, he gave no indication of it.

"Tofu-san, if you don't knock this off, I will forbid Kasumi from ever seeing you again." the Tendo patriarch threatened, hoping this was sufficient.

Judging by the way the doctor stopped prancing and stared in shock at him, it was.

"Good, now that I have your attention," Soun stated diplomatically, "Could you answer my question?"

"I-I... well, I do care for K-Kasumi a lot, yeah a lot." the doctor managed to get out without returning to his frolicking.

"That's good to hear, son," Soun said, nodding his head a bit. "I was wondering if you were ever going to approach her in a manner that concerned your feelings for her."

"I-I c-can't." the younger man muttered, hanging his head.

"And why not?" the elder man queried, arching an eyebrow in mimicry of his middle daughter's favored pose.

"B-because... I c-can't e-even t-talk a-about her without having a conniption fit." Tofu answered bitterly.

"I can see that son," Soun replied, before his other eyebrow joined its brethren in the air. "Why do you go all wacko when you see her or hear her name?"

"I-I watched her grow up. It's just so hard to comprehend that this beautiful woman is the same sweet little girl who I treated back then." Tofu said in reply, his tone sounding defeated.

Soun placed a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder. Unnoticed by either man, a soft blue glow ran from Soun into Tofu and vanished again. The doctor smiled at the gesture from the normally over emotional patriarch of the Tendo clan.

"So, why are you up so early," Tofu asked, "Besides asking me about K-Kasumi of course."

"Recently, I have grown out of my weepy shell. As such, I have decided to go on a training trip to see if this is temporary, or if I really haven't gotten over her death." the elder man casually answered.

"I see, I wish you well Tendo-san." the young doctor answered.

"Thank you Tofu-san," Soun easily replied, "now that I have accomplished what I came here to do, I will take my leave."

With that, Soun turned on a heel and headed for the door. Tofu watched the aging martial arts master go with a new found respect for the man. Thanks to his little visit, he had managed to verbalize what he had always felt.

He was one step closer to what had seemed impossible, a relationship with Kasumi.

As Soun walked out, he felt good about what he had done. He had managed to successfully sound out the man on his feelings for his eldest, his whole reason for coming. He continued on for wherever the road may take, as he was sure that there would be even more changes once he returned.

But for now he was comforted by the fact that maybe he was doing the right thing for once.

- - -

Breakfast at the Tendo home was a decidedly different affair this morning. Kasumi was the first to notice it, as the noise of her father's awakening was absent. Not pausing in her preparation of the morning meal, she silently hoped her father found what he was looking for.

She hoped that whatever it was didn't return him to his old blubbering self.

Not much fuss was initially raised as the other tenets of the home gathered at the table. As the meal was passed out, they began to notice something or rather someone was missing from the table. Akane looked towards her father's empty position at the table. Part of her was happy that he was finally doing something other than sit around, but a small part of her was unsettled by his absence.

After all, her father had always been there to greet her in the morning.

At another part of the table, Nabiki was also dealing with the Tendo patriarch's absence in her own way. While she would miss him being there, she would take comfort in the fact that he was doing it for them. After ten years, he would reopen the school again in order to help out around the house more.

That would be enough to keep Nabiki from missing him too much.

Kasumi, sitting the head of the table, briefly worried for her father. He had been so inactive during the last ten years, she was afraid he might not be able to handle the rigors of the training he was undertaking. There was also that nasty smoking habit he had picked up to comfort himself at times.

Then she calmed down.

'Father knows what he is doing,' she rationalized. 'If he didn't think he could handle the training, why would he go?'

Still, she would have to do her best to keep things running smoothly here. After all, as eldest, it was her duty to make sure things stayed good for her family in her father's absence. Her father trusted her with this duty and she wasn't about to let him down.

There was no way Tendo Kasumi would fail at this task.

From his position next to Ranma, Genma couldn't help but look at Soun's empty place without a hint of trepidation. His old friend had opened his eyes towards a problem he had not considered. The fact that he wasn't the paragon of virtue he thought himself to be was a real shocker.

Maybe that's why the boy didn't seem to respect him.

He had always thought that the boy had exaggerated in his claims about his father's lack of honor. After all, his son was most likely using him as a scapegoat to escape responsibility. It wasn't like he just picked up Ranma and tossed him into Jusenkyo, made him eat Shampoo's prize or challenge her for it.

Though he was certainly glad for the last one.

But Soun's opinion of him was another matter entirely. After all they had suffered under _HIM_, he had come to value Tendo's opinion a lot more than maybe he should. If his old friend was calling his judgment into question, he knew he had fallen dangerously close to being considered like _HIM._

And there was no way he would allow that

He would have to work on it, but he wouldn't allow himself to sink down that lowest of low levels. It was no laughing matter anymore, his old friend had delivered a strong ultimatum: shape up or ship out. Since he did not want to leave just yet, he knew he would not fail.

There was no way he'd let his old friend down, not after all he'd done for him.

- - -

Meanwhile, up on the roof of Furinkan, Har Karu dropped her cloak and stood for the first time since she had arrived without visual concealments. She tugged on her slightly bronze hair, making sure her ponytail hadn't come undone. Her piercing green eyes surveyed the grounds of Furinkan, her base of operations until the Elder arrived. Her creamy complexion and rather pert figure would draw a lot of attention, so she used her stealth to be able to carry out her orders.

After all, only Xian Pu had been rated higher than her in stealth.

Xian Pu, ah, that oh so foul and wicked name. The name of her most hated rival and perhaps her greatest friend. The thoughts of the purple haired girl nearly made her blood begin to boil again. Sighing, she stamped down on her anger and began thinking about what she would tell her Elder about this time.

That the Elder in question happened to be _her_ great-grandmother didn't really help her mood.

The fact that that purple haired trollop had an Elder for a great-grandmother made her want to scream about the injustice of the world. Everything, from her assured spot in the tournament to her superior fighting skills, were a direct result from nepotism. It made her skin crawl to hear Xian Pu crow about her superior skills at times.

Those weren't hard to obtain when you were descended from one of the oldest living Amazon warriors.

She was getting no where. Her feelings were just running around in circles, chasing one another endlessly for hours on end. She sat down and leaned against the side of the entrance as she wondered just how much she had changed since she had meet the Elder...

- - -

It was an early spring day in Joketsuzoku, still chilly to remind them that winter hadn't left yet, but also warm enough to promise an end to the chill. The village was immersed in its usual lull of activity that came with temperature. In the still of the early day, a loud cracking sound emerged from a nearby wooded area.

That no one investigated it meant that it was a pretty usual event.

Ku Lon, one of the eight Elders of Joketsuzoku, paused in her breakfast preparations as the sounds of the disturbance wafted towards her hut. It was a minor annoyance to everyone that lived there, but to Ku Lon it showed that this generation wasn't doomed to be cursed with vain warriors. Having lived for three hundred years, she had seen families come and go, even her own share of lovers and friends.

But she still wouldn't have given up those three centuries for anything.

She shook her head and muttered, "That must be Ai Lina's daughter at it again. Doesn't that girl realize that the winter months are for rest and not for training?"

She snorted and grabbed her cane from where she had laid it. She hopped her way to the door and out it, moving rapidly towards the disturbance. After a few minutes of hopping, she finally reached her intended destination.

It was a sight to behold, a young girl trying to cut down a tree by kicking through it.

Ku Lon shook her head in bemusement. Here was this girl, an outsider by most standards, and yet she had more drive than most of the fighters in the tournament. It was amusing in a morbid sense, because the girl was more than likely to work herself to death.

An unfitting end for someone with so much desire.

Deciding she had seen enough, Ku Lon cleared her throat to get the girl's attention. She had to chuckle at the shocked look on the youth's face when the girl turned to face her. It was always funny to see them act like they never expected you to show up at anytime.

It wasn't _that_ rare that she emerged from her hut after all.

"Oh, honored Elder, good morning!" the girl intoned, her voice filled with just the right amount of respect.

"And a good morning to you too, child," Ku Lon returned, her amusement bleeding through her voice. "Might I ask what you are doing out at this early hour?"

"Training, Elder." the girl answered, bowing her head a little bit.

"Child," Ku Lon said, "it got down to freezing last night. The sun hasn't been up long enough to thaw the sap in it properly yet, you could break your leg kicking it now."

"I know," the youth responded, "which is why I'm doing it. I'm toughening my lower legs to make them more resistant to breaking."

"A very good reason," the Elder acknowledged, "but it still doesn't excuse why you are out here instead of helping your family with their morning chores."

"I know I should not be out here, Elder, and for that I am sorry but.." she answered, trailing off at the end."

"But." prompted the old woman.

"But, should I really give up training time to help with chores that are more than adequately taken care of already?" the girl questioned somewhat hotly.

"You mean you've already finished your portion of your house's chores?" the Elder questioned, to which the girl nodded.

"I've been up for a couple hours now." the youth answered, her tone respectful once more.

"I am somewhat impressed by your determination, child," Ku Lon said, "But tell me, who is the Elder responsible for your training?"

"None," the girl replied, her head hung low, eyes staring at the ground.

"None at all? Then that means your not sponsored for the village tournament coming up?" The Elder asked, to which the girl affirmed with a nod to each.

"My family isn't old enough to have an Elder of its own," she said, "I have trained myself mostly, with a few lessons from Mother."

And that had given the three hundred year old woman pause. In the next two months, she would be screening for a potential second pupil to fulfill the requirements. She had known she had done well with Xian Pu, well enough to believe that she could win the tournament single handedly.

But without a second, Xian Pu would never get that chance to show them what she could do.

Then all of the sudden, she finds this oft ignored girl training as hard as she can with no Elder making a claim on her. It was a minor blessing to Ku Lon, as it meant she would spend less time dealing with potential saboteurs and more time training her second pupil. It wouldn't be hard to get the girl to cast her lot with her after all.

There was that reputation she had throughout the village.

"Child," she began, "have you been looking for an Elder to train you?"

"Yes."

"Then might I suggest you stop."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to be my second pupil for the tournament."

"But Mu Tsu-"

"All males are disallowed from participating. You know this, as well as I."

"S-sorry Elder, I forgot myself for a moment there."

"Quite alright dearie. Now how about I escort you home and we'll discuss with your mother the terms of this deal?"

- - -

'Damn,' she swore to herself, 'I really was an idiot back then.'

To this day, that was how she felt about her decision. If she hadn't been so hot to prove herself, she would have never meet that purple haired wench or that myopic moron. If she could have just said no to the Elder, she could have avoided all that was to come.

But really, how was one supposed to turn down one of the greatest living fighters of recent Amazon history?

It was quite a conundrum that she had found herself in. Ever since she had began training, her dream was to get sponsored by an Elder and make it into the tournament. Even in light of all that happened, could she really be that unhappy that her dream came true?

Perhaps it wasn't Mu Tsu and Xian Pu she hated, rather it was the conflicting emotions inside of her about it all.

'All this introspection isn't getting my report filled,' she thought, getting up from her seat and stalking out to the center of the roof.

It was a hassle to do it this way, but since the Phoenix started watching their moves a little more closely, it couldn't be helped. These old communication spells were hard to perform, but were neigh undetectable as long as you kept it short. But that was the trick, trying to gauge the amount of time before someone else detected your communiqué was a very difficult task.

Which is why it was such a pain.

Finally having everything prepared, Har started casting the spell. She tossed a few components into the air and chanted a few arcane words. After a barely noticeable flash, a globe of bluish light appeared in front of her.

"Ku Lon." she said simply, the matriarch appearing on the globe.

"Greetings Child," Ku Lon responded neutrally. "I take it you're ready for your full report?"

"Yes, Elder," Har replied in the proper respectful tones.

"I see you've finally remembered why I put you on the crash language course," the old woman responded dryly, "Now, make your report."

And so she did, making mention of what she had learned about Ranma. These things included certain routines she had learned about since she had started to spy on him. She also elaborated more on Xian Pu and how she came into getting that knowledge.

That probably wasn't a good idea.

"Let me get this straight, _Child_," Ku Lon thundered, "you left a fellow Amazon who seemed to be in dire straights alone to fend for himself?"

"Y-yes," the girl hesitantly replied.

"And you didn't even offer him any assistance?" the Elder sternly demanded.

"N-no." the youth meekly replied.

"What were you thinking? That it'd be okay to just leave your fellow Amazon alone in a foreign and potentially hostile country?"

"That's not it!" Har shouted back, breaking her meek posture. "You know I can't stand that near-sighted twit, why should I help him when you would leave him like I did?"

"If I were to leave him alone Child," Ku Lon replied, "It would be because he was either dead or I couldn't help him. To not offer assistance to a fellow Amazon, male or not, is a serious matter."

"Yes Elder," came the girl's meek reply, though the proud flame still burned in her eyes.

"Very well," the Elder said, a sigh escaping her, "we shall talk about this at length when I arrive. I expect to have every pertinent detail you can find about this Saotome Ranma that you can find."

"I will, Elder, I promise." the girl quickly said, before a loud yell interrupted her.

"What was that?" Ku Lon demanded.

"I don't know," Har answered, "it sound as though there's a disturbance down there. I'll check it out and contact you if it's important."

"Understood."

The spell winked out of existence and Har quickly gathered up her things. She peered over the edge to ascertain what had just transpired. She noted with curiosity that there was a boy laying in the ruins of an elaborate mask.

It looked like whatever happened was very interesting....

End Chapter 6

Teaser for Chapter 7:

Breakfast had come and gone at the Tendo household and the three school going members had to embark for said school. It was a quiet meal, though if that was due to the absence of Soun is anyone's guess. The trio walked in companionable silence, though it was more often a duo than a trio.

It didn't bother two members of the trio as much as it did the third.

Akane could detect there was something more to whatever was happening around her. She had been suspicious before but couldn't quite put her finger on it. This morning, however, proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that there was something rotten in the ward of Nerima.

Ranma hadn't been in bed when she went to wake him.

That wouldn't have been bad, really, if it wasn't for the fact that Nabiki had been the one to do it. That sent warning sirens off in her head, more so then her older sister's odd behavior. But the real topper came when the revelation of the mysterious package that Ranma went to great lengths to conceal was finally revealed.

It wasn't for her.

Admittedly, she didn't collect manga, but it still would have been nice to have been given a surprise gift like that. It was hard to fight down her possessive jealousy, as she knew that was a greater possibility of it doing more harm than good to her relationship with Ranma. After all, with his interest being sparked by something in Nabiki, she just couldn't blow up on him.

She was, after all, trying to save him from Nabiki.

That was her reason, cut and dry. She didn't love him, barely even liked him at that, so she figured she shouldn't get too worked up about things. Of course, there was only so much she could take, and she wasn't sure just what her limit of taking was.

If she was going to show Ranma that he would be safest with her, then she couldn't alienate him with violence when she reached that point.

So caught up in her mental debate, Akane had forgotten they were walking to school with the center of all things unusual, one Saotome Ranma. She snapped back to reality when she heard water splash on the walk behind her. She quickly looked at Ranma, and found him male, which disconcerted her somehow.

"How?" she asked.

"Huh, how what?" Ranma replied, surprise evident that Akane had suddenly decided that she was going to talk after all.

"How are you still a guy? The old lady over there would have nailed you by now." she clarified.

"Oh, that? I guess I was too early for her." he answered nonchalantly.

"That's what I like about you Ranma," Nabiki interjected, "when you're around, life is never dull."

"Are you saying I cause weird things to happen?" he demanded, though not at all harsh.

Just then, a strange boy in black robes ran by. That wouldn't have been weird if it wasn't for the winged pink haired girl on a bicycle chasing him. Of course, even that wasn't as strange as the full suit of old Samurai armor chasing after the girl.

"Ryo-sama!" the girl cried in tormented anguish. "Ryo-sama, why won't you love me?"

"Leave me the hell alone!" the boy, Ryo presumably, shouted back.

"Oh Shiori, why won't you return my love?" the armor asked, its tone of sheer woe made it seem even more ridiculous.

"Get lost Ken!" the girl, obviously Shiori, snarled back.

Once the trio vanished from view, Nabiki, Ranma and Akane all looked at each other with stunned expressions. They didn't say a word for a minute, even looking around to see what other madness might appear. Once they were sure they were in the clear, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Yes," Nabiki said evenly, "yes I am."

Author notes: Phew! This was a long four months in the making. Sure, I know it seems pretty muddling, but the main plot is just getting on track now, with Cologne's appearance in this chapter. Now, I know there are a lot of questions you people are going to have, so I'm going to answer them right now.

1. What was the manga that Ranma bought for Nabiki?

A. I didn't include the title so you all could draw your own conclusion as to what it is. I'm sorry if this confused anyone, but I thought it sounded like a good idea at the time.

2. Why are Ranma and Akane bickering more?

A. This is a big one. They are bickering more, simply because that is how I view their relationship to function. A heavy dose of possessiveness, plus a lot of arguing. Also, you may note that Ranma seems a lot more edgy around Akane, as well as no longer making the pretense to be nice. The biggest contributor to that is what Kimiko did to him. I will explore this further later, but suffice to say it was a lot harder to get Ranma to go this route then it may seem.

3. Why Ranma and Nabiki? Also, why not Shampoo or Ukyo?

A. This is perhaps, the largest question that some may have outside of those who like seeing this particular match-up. I like Ranma and Nabiki, simply because it involves writing more of your own story than using the canon as a crutch from which to write from. Also, I'm not a big fan of the mutually abusive relationship that Ranma and Akane have. So, why not the other two? I like Shampoo, but I find it hard to come up with a decent storyline for her, as I'm split fifty/fifty on how to go with her. Ukyo? To be honest, I'm not a big fan of her character. To daydream to someone whose home is being put on the line that you hope Ranma loses so he has to come with you isn't the best way to start off. Also, she just doesn't seem to be her own person, rather a more affectionate Akane who can cook. I'm not saying she is, that's just how she comes off. I'm sure she's a wonderful character, but she does nothing for me.

4. Why does Ukyo beat Ryoga? Also, why is Ryoga so weak compared to Ranma?

A. The answer to both is lack of training. Really, Ryoga hasn't disappeared off to who knows where to train, thanks to him catching Nabiki kissing Ranma. The only time Ryoga has gotten any real good licks in on Ranma is after he was flung into the wall by Mikado and Azusa's Goodbye whirl and turned into a girl. Massively injured and unable to put a great deal behind her strikes left Ranma pretty much screwed. As for Ukyo, she hasn't really mellowed out yet because off Ranma. She's still on her fanatical bent, which is why she pulls what she did in this chapter. It should be noted though, that had Ukyo actually took one of Ryoga's swings straight on, the fight wouldn't have lasted as long. Basically, the exchanges are assumed to be him thrusting and her swinging, with her swing knocking the thrust away.

5. Why is Har Karu suddenly being thrust into the spotlight?

A. Plans change. Over the course of working on this chapter, it occurred to me that Cologne would only have Mousse as an underling for future chapters. While I don't hate Mousse per say, I don't think Cologne would be able to resist wringing his neck for too long. Har's initial appearance was to cover why Cologne didn't just go looking for Shampoo on her own. But, realizing that if Shampoo wasn't going to be around, that the old ghoul (thwack!) would need a henchwoman. I will also tell you that she is also emerging so as to change Ryoga out of his show up and attack Ranma cliché. Also, Shampoo will also have to step up her training to evade being snared by Cologne.

6. Why does it take you so long to update?

A. Simply put, I don't write all chapters out before hand than work on a release schedule. I write them one chapter at a time, with things changing as I go. When I first wrote this, I had no idea I'd be spending the better part of the next year writing this. I consider this a learning experience for me, as my first attempt at writing a Ranma fic sucked a fat one, what with the overpowered AC and the lightning shift in relationships? Most of you probably never read that, nor will you, as I may one day go back and rewrite that. Though preliminary rewrite dates are primarily February 31st at the earliest, I guess you can say it isn't a big deal.

Any more questions, e-mail me at or . Hope to see you soon, like have another update before 2005!


	7. The Revenge of the Blue Thunder Part 1

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is the property of Viz Communications and Rumiko Takahashi. I make nothing from this story, please do not sue.

Pre-chapter notes: Whew! It's FINALLY chapter 7 of my little adventure. We back up and focus back on the main cast of characters, as secrets WILL be revealed. What they are? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. Time to get started! presses the projector button, bringing up the title screen.

First I Giveth

Chapter 7: Revenge of the Blue Thunder Part 1

By Marik Kurakashi

Breakfast had come and gone at the Tendo household and the three school-going members had to embark for said school. It was a quiet meal, though if that was due to the absence of Soun is anyone's guess. The trio walked in companionable silence, though it was more often a duo than a trio.

It didn't bother two members of the trio as much as it did the third.

Akane could detect there was something more to whatever was happening around her. She had been suspicious before but couldn't quite put her finger on it. This morning, however, proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that there was something rotten in the ward of Nerima.

Ranma hadn't been in bed when she went to wake him.

That wouldn't have been bad, really, if it wasn't for the fact that Nabiki had been the one to do it. That sent warning sirens off in her head, more so then her older sister's odd behavior. But the real topper came when the revelation of the mysterious package that Ranma went to great lengths to conceal was finally revealed.

It wasn't for her.

Admittedly, she didn't collect manga, but it still would have been nice to have been given a surprise gift like that. It was hard to fight down her possessive jealousy, as she knew that there was a greater possibility of it doing more harm than good to her relationship with Ranma. After all, with his interest being sparked by something in Nabiki, she just couldn't blow up on him.

She was, after all, trying to save him from Nabiki.

That was her reason, cut and dry. She didn't love him, barely even liked him at that, so she figured she shouldn't get too worked up about things. Of course, there was only so much she could take, and she wasn't sure just what her limit of taking was.

If she was going to show Ranma that he would be safest with her, then she couldn't alienate him with violence when she reached that point.

And so, her mind was once more made up. She would save this naïve boy from her callous sister, if only because she felt it her duty as a martial artist to help someone weak in person-to-person relations like Ranma. He had done a lot for her, a lot that she still felt she owed him for.

It would have been annoying to ask who Ranma was every time she saw him.

That wasn't a sterling example of what was exactly likeable about him. But there was the whole thing that he always tried to say what he felt, though he never could quite get that right. It certainly was endearing to see him try at least.

As long as it wasn't for those damnable insults of his.

But, that was what made him so interesting. He didn't use double meanings like Nabiki, it was often his blunt opinion on something instead. And so, here was this boy, sometimes girl, who would spout of the craziest things sometimes.

They were also some of the nicest things she had heard said about her.

When the boys at school talked about her, it was briefly about how cute she was, then onto stuff that made her skin crawl. As if she'd ever let those walking sacks of brainless hormones touch her like that! The very bold nerve of those jerks to insinuate she was the type of girl to do those unspeakable things.

Except for Ranma of course.

She held no illusions now that she wouldn't have minded having at least a few more boys like Ranma around. He was a lot more level-headed then most of the guys at school, which got her to thinking on certain things. Like, why was it that he could be so nonchalant about things towards her, yet be so overprotective at the same time?

He certainly was an enigma, one that she had yet to figure out.

So caught up in her mental debate, Akane had forgotten they were walking to school with the center of all things unusual, one Saotome Ranma. She snapped back to reality when she heard water splash on the walk behind her. She quickly looked at Ranma, and found him male, which disconcerted her somehow.

"How?" she asked.

"Huh, how what?" Ranma replied, surprise evident that Akane had suddenly decided that she was going to talk after all.

"How are you still a guy? The old lady over there should have nailed you by now," she clarified.

"Oh, that? I guess I was too early for her," he answered nonchalantly.

"That's what I like about you Ranma," Nabiki interjected, "when you're around, life is never dull."

"Are you saying I cause weird things to happen?" he demanded, though not at all harsh.

Just then, a strange boy in black robes ran by. That wouldn't have been weird if it wasn't for the winged pink-haired girl on a bicycle chasing him. Of course, even that wasn't as strange as the full suit of old Samurai armor chasing after the girl.

"Ryo-sama!" the girl cried in tormented anguish. "Ryo-sama, why won't you love me?"

"Leave me the hell alone!" the boy, Ryo presumably, shouted back.

"Oh Shiori, why won't you return my love?" the armor asked, its tone of sheer woe made it seem even more ridiculous.

"Get lost Ken!" the girl, obviously Shiori, snarled back.

Once the trio vanished from view, Nabiki, Ranma and Akane all looked at each other with stunned expressions. They didn't say a word for a minute, even looking around to see what other madness might appear. Once they were sure they were in the clear, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Yes," Nabiki said evenly, "yes I am."

"Fair enough, I suppose," Ranma answered, still disturbed over the whole spectacle.

"Yeah," Akane added, "It seems the world isn't out to get you Ranma."

"Guess so," he replied nonchalantly, "but I think we should hurry up before they come back."

"You said it," Nabiki said, going into a light jog to speed up the walk to Furinkan.

Ranma and Akane followed suit, purposely going slow so as to not leave Nabiki in the dust. As they got closer to Furinkan, the more they noticed weird things happening around them. Like all the people suddenly tossing water out their windows for no discernable reason.

Luckily for Ranma, they all missed by a wide margin.

Unluckily for Akane, she was hit just as they got within sight of Dr. Tofu's clinic. She grumbled and sent Ranma and Nabiki ahead, needing a quick toweling down before she arrived at school. As she went towards the clinic, Ranma and Nabiki simply shrugged at one another.

It was just another odd occurrence that had happened since he had arrived.

The pair tried not to dwell on it as they arrived at Furinkan together. The courtyard was fairly packed with the early crowds who usually milled about in the morning before classes. Nabiki said her goodbyes to Ranma and went off to discuss the early mornings happenings with her associates.

'I guess there are still some parts to her that I don't know about,' Ranma thought, as he decided to wait for Akane to arrive.

Meanwhile, behind his tree Kuno Tatewaki was scheming. His strategy was simple, catch the fiend sorcerer off guard and smite him like he should have long before. The best way, he figured, was to wear an elaborate and scary mask that would scare the foul one into forgetting his black magic.

Soon, his loves would be freed from the foul one's grasp.

He drooled as his favorite fantasies played out in his mind. He quietly chuckled to himself, hoping he wasn't too loud so the fiend wouldn't be alerted. Making sure the mask was in place, Kuno peeked out from the tree and spotted Ranma, who was contemplating something it seemed.

'At last,' he thought, 'the foul sorcerer is distracted!'

Seizing the moment, Kuno leapt from behind the tree and charged. Kuno's plan was a rather decent one, but several flaws had rendered it useless against anyone, let alone Ranma. First, the mask was hardly scary, just crudely painted.

The only way it could scare someone was to startle them.

Which lead to the second flaw of his plan. It was simply that trained martial artists have a tendency to lash out at threats that surprise them. As it was, Kuno dashed headlong at Ranma, who turned and was so startled by the sheer ugliness of the mask that he split it in half with a single kick.

As well as cracking more than a few of Kuno's ribs.

"Wha, Kuno?" the pig-tailed boy asked, surprised to see his dimwitted annoyance down in a heap.

"Hold…. Foul…. Knave…" the Kendoist gasped in agony, his labored breathing causing a few of the weaker students to rub their ribs in sympathy.

"Ranma?" Akane called as she arrived on the scene.

'Ah, my fierce Tigress,' Kuno thought through the haze of pain, 'punish him for harming your destined love!'

He was to be disappointed, as Kuno forgot that Akane lacked mental powers to hear his silent command. She engaged Ranma in a brief chat that Kuno's ears failed to pick up. As the two walked off, Kuno finally started to wonder what went wrong.

Was it Black Magic?

No, his ribs hurt too much for some spell. Then did the fiend actually kick him? Again, the pain in his ribs affirmed that yes, it _was_ a foot that hit him.

The Sorcerer Saotome had defeated, no deflected his wrath through actual physical means.

'Nay,' he thought, 'that can not be! He is but a weakling compared to likes of I!'

But why then, did he fail? What was it in his plan that had failed? It should have worked, for the foul beast should have been gripped in the throes of terror!

'That's it!' he mentally exclaimed, 'The fiend used his magic again! No wait, I already decided against that, so that's not it. He was just lucky, yes that's why my perfect plan failed. Why, he was so lucky he wasn't even afraid! Wait a second, he wasn't afraid! If he wasn't in the throes of terror, he could easily use his terrible perfidiousness to foil my plans!'

Nabiki had finally arrived on the scene, volunteering to make sure Kuno made it to the infirmary so she could find out what was going on. She had watched Ranma's handy defeat of the Kendoist, which hardly seemed like it took any effort at all. It was incredible how fluid the kick had been, like water gently flowing in a direction.

'Why do I smell something burning?' she silently wondered to herself before hoisting Kuno up in her traditional Kuno carry and hauled him off for the infirmary.

- - -

Pain. It was the first sensation to reach the brain of Hibiki Ryoga. It was relieving in a way, as it showed he was still alive after his skirmish with that odd Ukyo fellow. He had lost the fight, though whether it was skill on Ukyo's part or incompetence on his, he still lost.

It was one of the few times he hadn't lost to Ranma.

Victory had often visited Ryoga, in fact he was pretty much undefeated until he came across Ranma. The other layer of his humiliation about the bread, was that he always got the last bread until Ranma stole it from him. It started out as something fun until it grew to something that he could take pride in.

Just like his martial arts skills.

But then Ranma had to go and ruin that for him by showing he was infinitely superior in the martial arts. He heard the snickers, the jeers behind his back by the other guys who had enjoyed seeing Ranma take him down at lunch. They were supposed to respect him for his skills, yet this thief was making him look like a complete idiot.

Which is why he had to eliminate Ranma.

That was why he wanted to put down Ranma initially. If he could prove himself superior, then everyone would have to go back to respecting him and not sniggering behind his back. And so he had issued the challenge and even picked a site that he thought he wouldn't get lost on the way to.

Of course, things don't always happen as they are planned.

He was late, to a large degree, to the duel and Ranma wasn't there. His chance for vindication gone, he was understandably upset. In that irrational state, he made up his mind that Ranma had actually ran away in fear of him.

And once his mind was made up, it was hard for even him to change it.

He was an obstinate man when he had half a mind to be. He was stubborn about defeating Ranma at all costs, so much so that he followed him to China, with obvious results. So now, he was not only pig-headed, but a real pig as well.

The curse had allowed him to get closer to Akane, though he wouldn't mind it being cured.

He heard the sound of the surrounding shrubbery rustle, an evident sign that someone or something was there. Unable to move, Ryoga cracked his eyes open slightly, only to snap them shut again as fast as possible. It was much too bright and his head was throbbing from what had happened to him.

Not too many people could survive being blown up and falling down a hill.

"Aiyah," he heard a voice mutter, "Shampoo wonder what fall down hill last night."

'Shampoo,' he thought, 'that Chinese girl who was chasing Ranma.'

The purple haired girl quickly uncovered the prone body of Ryoga. She gasped in surprise and murmured to herself, "It that boy from when Shampoo meet Ranma."

He saw her reach out and start poking him to see if he was still alive. After reigning in a scream from his still sensitive flesh being jabbed, he said politely, "Yes, I'm alive. Could you please stop that?"

"Oh," the girl exclaimed, pulling her hand back as if bitten. "Shampoo sorry, just couldn't tell if you is alive with you being covered in soot."

"Yeah, I suppose you couldn't," he said, groaning as he tried to get up.

"Maybe you should no be moving around so soon," she suggested, wincing as he toppled over. "Shampoo sorry, she would have been here last night if she didn't want to make sure what cause explosion was gone."

"So, you hid instead of checking the explosion out?" he asked harshly, trying to cover his embarrassment.

"Would Bandana boy rather wait several days to be rescued then? Because Shampoo can leave and you can fend for self." she replied, not amused at his attitude.

"No! No, that's alright," he said, "I'm just a little upset from being pretty much helpless."

"It understandable," the purple haired girl said, bending down and scooping the boy up on her shoulders, "Oof! You is heavy, but should make for good strength training."

Ryoga said nothing, as fire erupted from all over his body from his injuries being so callously jostled. He was lucky he was sturdy as he was, or else he'd have died for sure. He shivered slightly, for whatever Ranma and his father had done to Ukyo, the mysterious boy was willing to kill for it.

His shivering didn't escape the notice of his rescuer.

"Hold out just little longer," she said. "We be at camp soon, then Shampoo treat your injuries as best she can."

"T-Thank you," he stuttered, unsure as to why she was being so kind to him.

"It no problem," the girl assured him, "Say, you have name?"

"My name?" he asked, puzzled by the sudden shift in the conversation.

"Yes, silly boy," she said, giggling slightly. "What it you want Shampoo to be calling you?"

"H-Hibiki," he stammered, "Hibiki R-Ryoga."

"It honor to meet you Ryoga," she replied easily, before coming to a stop and setting him down on a log. "We here."

The camp was nothing to look at, just a tent and a modest fire. But then, it wasn't supposed to be home by any stretch of the imagination. It would do for what it was designed for, which was to rest at before moving on.

It brought a question to Ryoga's mind.

"Why are you out here? There must be plenty of places to stay in the city." he asked.

"Shampoo see Har Karu in city," she answered, looking down at the ground.

"Hair care?" he asked dumbly, "what's wrong with seeing her anyways?"

"**Har Karu**," she said with added inflection so he'd get it right, "is the other pupil of Great-Grandmother. If she here, Great-Grandmother can no be so far behind. If she come, she try and make Shampoo marry Ranma."

Ryoga grinned, obvious thoughts of trying to hook Shampoo and Ranma up going through his head. As he imagined embracing Akane while Ranma was with Shampoo, he slyly asked, "How is that bad?"

Shampoo shook her head, almost able to see the delusional thoughts running through his head. "Har Karu is ruthless fighter," she began, "If Great-Grandmother comes and Akane stands in her way, she tell Har to kill Akane."

The boy's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull as he heard that. "What?!" he bellowed.

"It true. Har Karu sense of honor only dictates her actions when she feel it best to go that route. If Great-Grandmother say kill, she kill," she said sadly, hoping that it wouldn't come to that.

"M-Maybe Akane can fight her off," he said nervously, "I mean, how good could she be?"

"She second best fighter of this generation behind Shampoo. If Shampoo can easily defeat Akane, then Har have no trouble." she said, dashing the poor boy's hopes.

Ryoga started to respond, but a rustling sound in the nearby bushes. He nodded to Shampoo, seeing as he was still too beat up to check it out. He watched in amazement as she pulled her bonbori from seemingly no where, stalk closer to the bushes and hurl one at them.

He was suitably shocked when Soun can leaping from concealment.

"Ho!" the aging martial artist exclaimed, "Bet you didn't think an old man like me could have avoided that, did you? Yep, still got it."

"What you doing in bushes?" Shampoo angrily demanded.

Soun turned towards Shampoo and studied her for a long moment before he said, "I was making my way through the forest. I didn't know your camp was here, or I would have gone around. I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

"It no big deal," the girl dismissed as she went to fetch her weapon.

"Ah, Tendo-san," Ryoga piped up after getting over his shock. "What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, hello Ryoga," he said simply, "I'm just out on a training trip."

"Oh, that's good I suppose," the boy said, painfully rearranging himself on his seat.

"Goodness boy, what in the world happened to you?" Soun asked, finally taking stock of Ryoga's beat-up appearance.

"Got into a fight last night with some guy by the name of Ukyo," he replied. "He tossed a bomb at me and blew me off the hill."

"Gracious boy," the elder man said, "you must be awfully sturdy to survive that."

"Well, I'm not bragging but it's one of the things I focused my training, " the boy replied.

"Why is that?" Soun asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Well," Ryoga began, "I'm not exactly the fastest person. Besides, when you get as lost as me, you need to be able to last walking for days on end."

"I see," Soun replied, nodding his head and watching Shampoo finally return to camp.

"Shampoo back. Bonbori squash something, so she go to nearby spring and clean it off," the girl explained.

"That's a good philosophy to have," Soun said approvingly. "You wouldn't want to catch something now."

"Hey, uh, Shampoo, why don't you repeat what you told me about that Har Karu girl?" Ryoga asked politely.

"Oh, uh, yes. He is Akane father after all," Shampoo said, nodding in agreement before she repeated what she said earlier.

Soun's brow furrowed in worry. His baby girl was in potential danger! He had to get back to protect her, this training trip be damned.

Then he calmed down.

He had left for this trip because he thought he was suffocating his daughters. He felt that whatever adversity might befall any of them, they should be able to handle it on their own. They didn't need him to hover over them like a worried mother hen.

There was also Ranma there to protect them.

He wasn't as young as he used to be. If this Har Karu girl attacked, she probably would have gotten by him if she put forth some effort. He was once one of the greatest martial artists, a man of great skill and strength.

And both of those had eroded in these past ten years.

Now was his chance to recapture some of his past glory. It was his chance to grab some shred of respect from those he had chosen to surround himself with. He could no longer content himself with the idle back patting him and Genma had gotten into.

It was why he stayed.

"She'll be fine," Soun said calmly, though worry did bleed through. "Ranma's there to protect her. He won't let anything happen to her."

"Yeah, you're right," Ryoga said, reluctantly agreeing, "There's no way Ranma would let Akane come to harm, as much as I dislike him, even I can admit to that."

As he thought, an image of Ukyo flashed through his mind. As he remembered what happened last night, he began to grow more pale. When he couldn't take anymore, he surprised the others when he jumped to his feet.

"Ukyo!" he shouted, before calming down to explain his outburst. "The guy I fought last night was Kuonji Ukyo, and he said he was after Ranma. If he can stand toe-to-toe with me, then there's a good chance that he can go head to head with Ranma."

"That could be trouble," Shampoo said, nodding in agreement before continuing, "Especially if Har and this Ukyo fellow team up together."

Soun was about to respond when he saw Ryoga starting to panic and decided to quell the boy's coming outburst. "Ryoga-san," Soun said calmly, "Ranma and Akane will be fine. I'm sure this Ukyo fellow will be nothing for him to beat."

"Is true," Shampoo agreed, "Ranma is best fighter Shampoo ever lies eyes upon. Even if this Ukyo attack, he defend himself with ease."

"You don't understand!" Ryoga cried, "All Ukyo has to do is delay him long enough for Har to kill Akane! I have to warn them."

As Ryoga stood suddenly, his desire to protect Akane allowing him to ignore the burning pain, he heard Soun call, "Wait Ryoga!"

"Don't try to stop me! Akane, I'll protect you!" he shouted, looking around for his pack but couldn't remember what he had done with it.

"But Ryoga!" Soun said, hoping the boy would hold on a second.

"I'm coming Akane!" the boy cried, forgetting his pack and charging off into the woods again.

A slight breeze blew gently through the trees as Soun and Shampoo stared in amazement after the lost boy. The silence permeated the very air about them, the wind barely able to be heard over the deafening shock that had settled over the camp. Eventually, both the Tendo Patriarch and the renegade Amazon Champion settled back in their seats, relaxing once more.

"What you going to say to him?" Shampoo inquired.

"I was wondering why he was going off that way, because the fastest way back to the city is the way I came." Soun answered solemnly.

"Ah," Shampoo said, shrugging her shoulders and thinking of what to say next.

"So…" Soun said, "what now?"

"We talk?" Shampoo asked hesitantly, unsure how to be around the elder man, as he no longer seemed to be the weepy man she had taken him for in her all too brief meeting with him earlier.

"A fine idea," he said, nodding his head. "After all, you may be able to help me figure out how I'm supposed to train again."

If Soun was a good deal younger, his heart would have skipped a beat at the young girl's answering smile.

- - -

Meanwhile, back at Furinkan, Nabiki was tuning out her teacher as she thought back over the course of the morning. She had left with Ranma and Akane, a good deal earlier than the dysfunctional couple's usual departure. About a block from the dojo, the light early morning conversation between the three evaporated as Akane fell into an unusual silence.

It served to both relieve and worry Nabiki at the same time.

Since Kuno's announcement, Nabiki had thought her little sister had lost the ability to think things through instead of reacting to everything. If Akane was actually thinking, then the events of the past few days must have extremely confused her to a point. Her good natured, yet sometimes extremely violent, little sister was actually thinking thinks through, weighing the consequences of her actions instead of diving right in.

It would allow her to delay Akane in finding out her interest in Ranma.

She knew she couldn't be blatant about this, as she didn't really want to be engaged to Ranma right now. Their relationship wasn't exactly one that should be between fiancées, more of a close friendship bordering on boyfriend-girlfriend. She wasn't sure just on what side of the border she wanted to be on, nor could she decide how far, or close, to the line she wanted to be.

For her relationship with Ranma to work, she would first have to figure out what she wanted before broaching the subject of going further.

And so, she was ready to play the role of amicable chum to Ranma, if that was what it took for her to decide on what she wanted out of their relationship. For now, it would have to do, as she couldn't exactly just dump everything on him at once. While she had already breached the kiss plateau with him, he had never been an active participant in those stolen kisses.

Whether he wanted to be was a question she wasn't ready to ask.

She broke out of her reverie to quickly answer an easy question before the teacher went back to droning on about whatever he was talking about. So now, she had a set mindset for how she would go about pursuing Ranma in whatever fashion her heart had decided. She heard the teacher begin to go off on an unnecessary tangent and decided to lean back and think about the enlightening conversation she had with Ranma…

- - -

An awkward silence had encompassed the school bound trio. The three had already spent most of their conversation ammo at the breakfast table, which was rare for them. Of course, Ranma had been awakened earlier than his usual time, so they had a chance to savor breakfast.

So it wasn't shocking that they didn't have anything else to talk about.

Ranma developed a rather nervous air about him. He glanced cautiously at the oblivious Akane, as though what he might say next would set her off. He crept closer to her and gently tapped on her shoulder before jumping back into a defensive stance.

Nothing happened though, except Akane kept walking.

"Ranma-kun?" Nabiki asked, unsure what he was doing.

"Shh," he said quietly, "I need to see if she's actually paying attention."

"Wha-why?"

"Because there's stuff **we** need to talk about that she doesn't need to be privy to." he calmly answered as he again attempted to see if Akane was paying attention.

"Like what?" she said, a little uneasy.

"That picture," he answered as he checked one last time, "among other things."

'Ah crap,' she thought, 'I was hoping he'd forget about it.'

"Hmm," he said offhandedly, "she appears to be out of it."

"She must have a lot on her mind," Nabiki supplied. "After all, Shampoo giving up after seeming so sure of victory was shocking."

"True," he agreed, "now, about that picture…"

"Save it Ranma," she said sharply. "There are some things that Akane isn't privy to, and this is one of them. Even if she isn't paying attention, I don't want her to wake up in the middle of it."

"But yesterday, you'd said you'd tell me about it later," he protested, wanting to get the talking out of the way.

"And if we had left without Akane, then I would tell you," she answered evenly, trying to keep from making a scene. "But than Daddy had to go and leave and we didn't make plans to talk on the walk before."

"Yeah," he admitted, "you have a point there. So when can you talk about it?"

"How about at lunch?" she supplied, shrugging before continuing, "My factors should be able to handle one business session without me."

"And if they can't?"

"Get new ones."

Ranma laughed at her nonchalant response, surprised by the joke. The two enjoyed a slightly companionable silence, even if it was a bit uncomfortable. Ranma could tell by her reluctance to talk about it spoke volumes of how much that one incident impacted her.

It would be slightly interesting to found out how much.

It was somehow different between him and Nabiki. Instead of finding bones to pick with one another, they just talked to each other like people. It certainly was easier than having to worry about getting hit for saying something she didn't like.

And even during the month he had known Akane, it seemed his foot visited his mouth far too often.

Now, it was all different in some unperceivable way and he was at a loss as to what changed it. Before he caught Nabiki kissing him in his sleep a few days ago, he was pretty sure he knew how things went. He insulted Akane, she hit him for it and sulk, all while Nabiki turned a tidy profit and Kasumi took care of everyone.

And now everyone, and pretty much everything, was different.

He had noticed the subtle shift in Kasumi for the first time a few days ago, the day before he caught Nabiki as a matter of fact. She didn't seem to be smiling just because people felt better when she smiled, she was doing it because she was actually happy.

Something he hadn't known before then.

The difference between the façade Kasumi and the real one was vast. While the Kasumi he had known up until then was content with just being nice, the new one seemed to be more concerned with being involved in the dinner conversation without seeming oblivious. It had shocked the entire family at first, but they gradually accepted the change in Kasumi.

If she wasn't going to be the oblivious polite housewife, then it was for the best.

First was the change in Kasumi, followed by his talk with Soun. That had opened his eyes even further to how much things were changing around him. The normally mercurial Tendo patriarch treated him like a man, something his father rarely did. After their talk that night, he had actually began to view everything in a different light.

And then it happened.

He had been losing sleep for several days leading up to it. It was strange, he had thought Shampoo was gone for good at the time. But then, as brazen as she had made herself to appear, he doubted that it would have stopped at just a kiss.

But he knew better than that.

When she had returned, she had been frank and subdued, like she was a prisoner of some kind. She seemed so different from the bubbly girl from before, so much so that he wondered if it really was her. After a brief conversation, he had found that she was indeed the same girl from before, just a lot less cheery.

She too, had been changed by some unknown force.

But no one had seemingly changed more than Nabiki. She had seemed so indifferent towards him before, rarely having much to say to him at all. It had probably been the biggest shock of his life when he caught her kissing him while he was asleep.

A small part of him wondered why he wasn't upset with her about it.

He had realized that it was because he had been wondering about the engagement and who he might have chosen if he was allowed to make that choice. The change in his opinion after only a month was shocking, but not too surprising. After all, with the amount of fights him and Akane had already gotten into, it wouldn't be surprising that he would have second thoughts.

Well, maybe that wasn't it.

"So," Nabiki said, after a long pause had enveloped them after her joke. "I'll see you at lunch?"

"Yeah," he said, an intense look on his face, as though he was scrutinizing something about her.

Just then, the sound of splashing water drew their attention away from each other. Then Akane had woken up and….

- - -

The sound of the bell signaling the end of the period interrupted her thoughts. She had ignored the teacher in favor of thinking about Ranma and what she would say to him about that picture. She had some misgivings about it, as Ranma's nasal eruption from the picture made her hesitant to broach the topic.

But she would anyways, as she had already promised to tell him.

It was funny, any other time she made a promise this personal, she would always skip out on it and say she forgot. But, for some reason, she felt compelled to tell Ranma, simply to gauge his reaction to her little story. She really was surprised at how much ground she was already giving up to him, more than she probably should be giving to him.

But if she wanted him in more than a best friend capacity, she had to entice him to look further.

Why she was so interested in him was still a mystery to her. She didn't honestly believe that she woke up and just desired him. It was something that she would have to figure out for herself before she could work on Ranma any further, as she would have to know where she is going first.

But first, the ever present joy of math class….

- - -

Kuno Tatewaki awakened in the nurse's room, feeling as though he were dying. He was having trouble drawing breath, and his ribs burned with an inner fire of agony. His complexion was pale, his brow covered in sweat as he labored himself to an upright position.

On further review, that might have been such a good idea.

Quickly snapping himself back down, Kuno took stock of where he was once his head quit spinning. The nurse's station, he had recognized the sanitary white walls and the traditional sleeping patient blue curtain. He had often visited the little plebian hole after a bout with his beloved Tigress, but was now put here by the foul sorcerer and his dreadful magic.

Why that last thought caused him to furrow his brow in contemplation confused him to no end.

It mattered not, as the foul one had foiled his plan and inflicted serious harm on him. His Fierce Tigress had fallen further under the fiend's lull, refusing to show even the slightest concern that he had been injured. His next plan would succeed, he was sure of it!

After all Kuno Tatewaki never lost, he just preferred to delay his victory sometimes.

Delayed gratification he had heard it called. Why rush to gain your prize now, when you can work to earn it and savor it long after? It was the biggest reason why he had arranged for the Horde to fight her in the mornings until Saotome had shown up.

If he was going to go all out against her, she had to be able to withstand his assault.

While she might imagine his holding back a slight to her skills, he was in fact paying her a very high compliment. Very few could ever measure up to him in skills, and for him to see the potential for her to become such was the highest compliment he could give. Of course, he still wondered why those fools had fled once Saotome had shown up.

More of the Black One's vile magic no doubt.

He sat up again, slower this time so he wouldn't aggravate his injury again. He decided he would have to employ something that he could simply fling at the sorcerer first before engaging him in combat. The fiend's magic had enabled him to move even when confronted with his mask of terror, something that screamed at him that things that look scary will not work against the cur.

The fact that the mask hadn't been that intimidating or fear-inducing never crossed his mind.

He decided that he would have to think more on his next scheme, lest there be a repeat of this failure. Once the fiend was inundated with fear, then he could move to strike the beast down. Something from a afar that he could toss on the mongrel, then leap to smite the foul ogre.

But what could it possibly be?

It had to be small, as he couldn't telegraph what he was going to do, lest the fiend counter with his magic. A caged beast wouldn't be wise, because someone might unleash it before Saotome would arrive. So, it would have to be small and easily concealable. But what could it be?

Oh what a cruel trick the Gods above had played on him, robbing him of his great intellect when he needed it most!

He wondered how long he had been out and checked the wall clock. He quickly noted that his first period social studies class was already done and math would be beginning soon. He tried to remember his schedule to figure out what class he had after math.

It was something that was important, he could at least remember.

Frustrated that his head was still too clouded to think straight, he growled in frustration and thought harder. If only his twisted sister hadn't fallen for the miscreant, then he could just feed Saotome to Mr. Green Turtle, that foul demonic alligator that Kodachi was so taken with. But alas, she was smitten, and thus the one time that damnable reptile could help him, the devil wasn't able to.

'Wait a second,' he thought, 'Mr. Green Turtle? That reminds me of something…'

Then he had an epiphany, a vision straight from the Gods to their champion. He had Zoology after Math, as it finally came to his mind after all the deliberation he had put in. It was because of that devil gator that he was taking it, in hopes of learning some way to slay the beast.

He vaguely remembered swearing to Kodachi that he would smite the beast someday.

Shaking off the memory, he quickly laid back down and pretended to be out. He would simply recuperate before he went back to class so that he could formulate a better plan later. Zoology should open up new possibilities for him to defeat the foul sorcerer and free his loves.

Plus, he could get out of the math quiz scheduled for today.

The nurse had finally come in to check on her recurring patient. It was no surprise that Kuno was here often, as he had a way of provoking people to hurt him in brutal ways. She shook her head when she saw him still asleep, wondering why she even bothered to check on him in the first place.

She sniffed the air and remembered what had prompted her to check on him.

"It smells like someone was burning something back here," she muttered and headed back out, shaking her head again.

- - -

It was surprising how something as simple as owning a restaurant could be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. But for Kuonji Ukyo, it represented the stability she sorely wanted. If she was to scour for Ranma, she would need a better base of operations than a yattai.

Plus, all the memories of her father's yattai being stolen made her hesitant to own one permanently.

She knew she would never be as stupid as her father, trusting that fat thief with the family cart. How he could be so irresponsible with something that had been a sort of personal vindication for him, it was beyond her. But she couldn't dwell too much on her old man, as she had thief hunting to do.

And there would be a very painful reckoning for those two thieves.

But first, she would have to set up shop. As much as she wanted to just run around and look under every nook and cranny, she knew that would net her absolutely nothing. This was the best chance she had of catching the Saotomes, her vengeance so close she could taste it.

She remembered overhearing a few students from the local high school talking of Saotome and the chaos that he brought with him. It was odd, everywhere she went, there seemed to be tall tales of sheer insanity that it boggled the mind. If she hadn't known better, she could almost swear they were purposely leaving a trail that she could follow.

But she didn't believe that they were that stupid.

She came to a stop and looked over the old abandoned Chinese restaurant. It hadn't been used in a while, it seemed, as the boards had looked fairly old. She wrinkled her nose as she thought of the time it would take to clean up and redecorate the place.

'No,' she thought, 'this one won't do.'

She headed on, looking out for a potential building that could serve her needs. She would need both something that could function as a restaurant as well as a place to sleep. She had exhausted her spending money just getting here, but she'd have more than enough to appropriate a place in this district.

Her father had at least financially supported her quest for revenge.

She came to a stop as she saw it. A small, abandoned building sat on the corner, looking like it had recently been closed down. But what had set it apart from all the other abandoned restaurants was that it looked to be an okonomiyaki shop.

"It's perfect," she whispered, a slight gleam in her eyes.

She rushed forward and quickly took down the number for the realtor. If she acted fast, the shop could be hers by the end of the day. It was a small step, to be sure, but it felt like the start of a grand journey.

'And after all,' she silently mused as she went to look for a phone to call the realtor, 'every journey begins with a single step.'

- - -

It was the end of Zoology and Kuno Tatewaki had not heard a single word of what the teacher had said. Granted, he might not have understood it even had he been paying attention, but that wasn't the point. He had spent all of class flipping through his textbook, looking for some terrifying, yet small creature.

He had found several in fact, of which he jotted down some notes upon acquiring some.

The wretched Saotome would finally meet his doom when he was paralyzed by the fear these creatures were sure to induce. Kuno had a clear image of the vile sorcerer defeated, his two loves finally able to express their gratitude and love for him. He had to fight the urge to laugh, as he didn't feel like being sent out of the room.

He was also glad that Tendo Nabiki didn't have this class with him. The vile mercenary sister of his beloved Tigress would thwart him, for a simple price. He would not be denied, and as such, he couldn't allow her to worm her way into his confidence.

As she would surely spread his plans to everyone else.

The game Tendo Nabiki played with him was a dangerous one. There were many times where he felt like asserting his dominance over her, as no woman but Tendo Akane and the pigtailed goddess could ever be his equal. But there were reputations to be had, as well as the fact that he had tried it before, only to be embarrassed further for his troubles.

It would seem that he would often be labeled the loser of their exchanges.

He grimaced as the memories of the previous day flitted through his mind. He had lost his sole advantage over her, his sole ability to keep the prices of the pictures reasonable. He had been careless with that picture, the one thing that would make Nabiki respect him.

And he had lost it in the fight with Saotome, later hearing from witnesses that Nabiki had seized a picture and destroyed it. It was no doubt the picture that had been the very bane of the Ice Queen's reputation. If only he hadn't been so careless with it, he could have used it as leverage to force her to plot against Saotome instead of having to do it himself.

Invariably, her schemes seemed to work better than his.

But there was no time to dwell on that now. It was time for lunch, the daily period of sustenance that would allow him to see the beauteous Akane once more. He had poetry to prepare and a performance to give for his beloved.

Plus, all this thinking was making him hungry…

- - -

Nabiki sat hesitantly under the tree she had chosen for her lunchtime rendezvous with Ranma. It was pretty far from most students and often served as a place for more covert business meetings. Here, she could tell him all about that picture and not worry about spin control.

She wondered if she'd be able to squash the rumors about her being a flasher without some serious death threats if it got out. Deciding that she didn't want to deal with it, she would try to keep Ranma's volume down so no one would learn of it. His nasal leakage had sparked many curious debates, though most of them were convinced it was some racy shot of Akane that triggered the eruption.

And she lacked the proper motivation to set them straight.

Of course, she would have to tell what the picture really was, which is probably why she was hesitant to quash the rumors. Plus, as long as everyone thought that it was Akane that had triggered the eruption, she wouldn't have to waste her efforts to play spin control. Sure, working the gossip lanes was easy money, but sometimes it just wasn't worth it.

Especially if you didn't want to open yourself to their endless speculative chatter.

She idly ate her lunch while waiting for Ranma, knowing that it would be best to finish before he got here. She had a lot to say to him, a lot more than time would allow if she was too busy eating in the middle of it. Here she was, the Ice Queen of Furinkan High, the sole person that never let anyone in on any of her secrets.

Neither of her sisters understood just what she did and why she did it. There was enough old money sitting around that allowed them to live comfortably without worrying about paying bills. A small part of what she earned went towards a college fund for herself and her little sister, the rest went towards food, household repairs and the odd treat for herself.

There was less for the odd treat though, ever since the Saotomes had arrived.

That was the sheer irony in her budding interest in Ranma, he seemed to be a walking money pit. Him and his fat father ate at an alarming rate that seemed like they walked in from a famine. But, living such a Spartan existence, he had never really understood the meaning of money beyond the fact that enough of it brought food.

She had to chuckle at that, as she remembered the manga he had gotten her. He wasn't totally clueless to what money could do after all. She was surprised that he had thought of something like that on his own, but wasn't going to complain about it.

"What's so funny?" a male voice interjected into her thoughts.

She looked over to her left and saw Ranma standing there impatiently. Figuring that he was waiting for her okay to sit down, she nodded and said, "Have a seat Ranma."

The pig-tailed boy did as he was told and had a seat beside her. A small bit of silence enveloped them before he said, "Sorry it took me so long to get here, but I had to tell Akane where I was at."

She blinked at that before she asked, "Why is that?"

He shrugged and answered nonchalantly, "I just didn't want to worry her unnecessarily. If she knows where I'm at, the less likely she is to come looking for me."

"Good point," she agreed, before she continued with sly and humorous lilt. "It wouldn't do for her to barge in on this conversation, ne Ranma-kun?"

"Uh… yeah," he said, caught off guard by the playful nature of the girl next to him.

"Relax," she said, rolling her eyes, "I'm not going to unhinge my jaw suddenly and swallow you whole."

"Sorry, I'm just not used to you acting this way at school," he said, waving a hand to dismiss her annoyance, "For the entire time I've been here, you've rarely acted like this, especially not while we're at school."

"I know, but we're so far from the rest of them so no one will overhear what's said," she replied with a shrug, "I don't really need to act all businesslike right now, as there's no money to be made right now."

"That's true," he said, "though I have yet to figure out why you're not charging me for the story."

"I can't think of a good price," she answered evenly. "If I charge too much, you'll be less than likely to keep it a secret, and if I charge too little, I probably won't feel like you've paid enough."

"Ah… yeah, that'd do it I guess," he said nonplussed. "So, are you gonna start telling me this, or are we gonna discuss prices?"

"Ah… sure, Ranma-kun," she said, "just let me get my bearings so I can start at the beginning."

And with that, they lapsed into a contemplative silence. Ranma was busy mentally speculating about the story behind the picture and found himself oddly excited about it. It was because he was having the opportunity to learn more about his newfound friend.

That may have been it for Ranma, but Nabiki's nervousness had returned in full force. She had agreed to tell him about one of the most embarrassing moments of her life, and she was developing cold feet. She quickly quashed her nervousness as she began the tale of one of the most embarrassing days of her life…

- - -

It was a going away party for a couple of Nabiki's acquaintances, the hosts being the two people going away. Sakurai Kikuchi, the class brain as he was often referred to, was the one who suggested they host the party. His sister Tomoe, a little too much of a ditz, had been bouncing about in excitement about this day for the last three weeks.

As it was, they were moving to another district and wouldn't be going to the same high school as some of their present chums. Visiting would be a stretch for them, as Kikuchi would probably devote extra time to studying while Tomoe would probably be too busy making new friends. It was a sad state of affairs, but the party was going to have a pretty happy atmosphere.

It may have something to do with the fact that Kikuchi and Tomoe were barely liked by most of the people attending the party.

Nabiki sat in a corner, nursing a glass of punch as she waited for the party to actually begin. She was bored almost completely out of her mind as the festivities seemed to have lost their invites in the mail. It was bad enough Kuno had decided to plop himself in the chair next to her, but the fact that the party was dead was worse.

'Is this a party or a wake?' she thought to herself. 'On second thought, wakes at least have people crying.'

"Is it not odd how much Kikuchi talked up this party as some great event, when it is the opposite of such?" Kuno inquired, more for trying to strike up conversation with her than any actual puzzlement.

"You have no idea how right you are," Nabiki grumbled. "I'm not sure if I buy his excuse of waiting until the time is right."

"Hmm… 'tis truly a ponderance," Kuno mused. "If the time doesn't get right soon, when the time becomes right, no one will be awake to partake of the festivities."

"You said it," she muttered as she took a sip of her punch, "this is driving me nuts."

Kuno sighed, just as bored as the girl next to him was. The party, if could be called that, was causing several other partiers to wimp out and leave. He idly wondered if the host of the party had bet someone that he could host the dullest party ever.

And it didn't look like the host would lose that bet.

"You there!" he bellowed at passing partier, "where is the revelry? Where is the merriment for all of us to partake?"

"Heck if I know," the boy said, stifling a yawn. "I bet Kikuchi is glad he's moving, or he'd be getting beaten to death for this lame party."

"Yes, I can see thy point," the Kendoist said, nodding in agreement. "Speaking of our host, where might he be found? I wouldst have a word with him over the lack of revelry, but I can't find him anywhere."

"I think he's hiding so we don't lynch him," the boy answered before he walked off, apparently growing bored with speaking to Kuno.

"Vile bookworm! Who art thou to waste the time of the great Kuno Tatewaki?" Kuno hollered, only to be answered by someone tossing a piece of cake at his head.

"Shut up!" yelled a girl, who went back to looking like she was on the verge of death.

"I will silence mine self, but not because thou hast ordered me," he answered back, before lapsing into silence in order to glare hatefully at the girl.

"Great, even Kuno-chan's antics are becoming entertaining, I **must** be bored," Nabiki lamented to herself, finishing off her punch and going for a refill.

On her way to punch bowl, she bumped into the missing host. "Oof! Why don't you- Oh, hello Nabiki," Kikuchi said, starting strong but falling into a flat tone of nervousness as he shifted his glasses.

"Well, well," Nabiki said neutrally, "if it isn't the hermit throwing this party. What happen, you run out of food?"

"I-it's not that," the boy stuttered, "I was just too busy trying to dissuade my parents from interrupting the party, that's all."

"Does this mean that this will pick up soon or what?" Nabiki demanded in a calm tone.

"Yes," he answered quickly, "Yes it will. I just need for Tomoe-chan to show up with the music and we'll be ready."

"Good," she smirked, walking past him to refresh her drink….

- - -

"So let me get this straight," Ranma said, interrupting the story for just a bit. "You actually sat there with Kuno ranting and raving for several hours on end waiting for the guy to show up to his own party?"

"Hey," she said defensively, "life was pretty dull back then, and Kuno-chan had yet to actually meet Akane, so he was insufferable only a third of the time, as opposed to his usual two."

"Suuuure," he said, rolling his eyes, "I believe that."

She snorted and said, "I've known him a lot longer than you, Ranma-kun, so I would know what he was like three years ago when you had no clue he even existed."

He waved his hands in order to placate her growing irritation and said, "I was just kidding, sheesh."

"That's not something to kid about, Ranma," she said, less hotly then before as she turned away from him. "Do you want to hear the rest or not?"

"Of course," he said. "I didn't mean to interrupt, that was just bugging me."

"Then wait until I'm finished next time?" she asked in a suggestive tone.

"Okay, okay, get back to the story already!"

"Let's see, I was refilling my punch when…"

- - -

Tomoe had arrived with the music, injecting new life into the party. The music seemed to seize them and fill them with a nervous energy that needed to be unleashed in some fashion. The partygoers danced and gyrated wildly with reckless abandon as they began to enjoy themselves after being bored for so long.

There wasn't much else they would have been able to do that would entertain them this much.

Nabiki finally sat back down after a good half hour of dancing. Along with a steady aerobic regimen and an active enjoyment of tennis, dancing was how she stayed in such good shape. It was good exercise, though she refused to wear too tight of an outfit while dancing at anytime.

She had a growing reputation to maintain, which meant she couldn't be seen as someone who flaunted her budding figure if they played the right kind of music. She enjoyed the respect she got from a good deal of the students, it was invigorating in some ways to hear them be wary of her all the time. Their insults really didn't bother her, as she had plenty of time to purge them from her system before they could annoy her.

Plus, she had methods of getting back at those that dared to speak against her.

As she came down from her adrenaline rush, she was surprised to find Kuno sitting sullenly in his chair. It was curious that he looked so downtrodden, when he had more reason than anyone to be happy with life. He could probably pay to throw hundreds of parties across Tokyo, what was he looking so down for?

"What's the matter Kuno-chan?" Nabiki asked teasingly, enjoying his annoyed expression at her pet name for him.

"Know that I am no pet, Tendo Nabiki," he said, winding up for one of his more famous rants, "Nor am I a petulant child that you can talk down to. Know that Kuno Tatewaki holds no closeness nor affection for thy villainous ways, so do not refer to me in such a familiar manner, woman."

"Whatever, Kuno-chan," she said, having learned to ignore his more subtle tantrums. "Listen, what the hell is eating you? Why aren't you dancing?"

"What is… eating me as you so vulgarly put it," he said matter of factly, "is that I cannot dance."

"WHAT?!" she gasped in shock.

"I said that I cannot dance." he said calmly, though it was his way of not looking embarrassed.

"I know what you said, dummy," she snapped back, "but why would you come to a party that is going to be mostly dancing?"

"Because no one would bother to invite me to one," he answered.

"That's right, most kids at school can't stand you."

"Thank you for that reminder, I had forgotten that."

"No problem, Kuno-chan."

"Grr," he growled, "don't call me that!"

"Dancing shouldn't be that hard, especially when all you have to do is sway a little bit and maybe move your arms and feet a slight bit," she replied, ignoring his out rage again.

"I tried," he said, "and was calmly told I dance like I'm having a seizure."

"Oh," she said, "so that's what's bothering you."

"Other than you," he shot back, "yes."

"Would you rather I break down in hysterical laughter at you?" she inquired.

"No, no I wouldn't," he said, turning away from her with a sullen look….

- - -

"So that's what we were doing up to the point that Kikuchi spiked the punch." Nabiki said.

"He what?" Ranma asked, not understanding what she meant.

"He poured sake into the punch," she explained, "two bottles full if I remember. I found out from him later that he had purposely made sure Tomoe had forgotten the music while he hunted around his parents' liquor cabinet for the sake."

"Why would he do that?" he asked, shocked at the explanation.

"Because he wanted to stir the party up," she said. "He needed to distract then get his parents out of the house, as well as keep his sister busy until she could go get the music, so the party had to be dull. Since the party was dull until his sister returned with music, he could easily sneak in to spike it. He hid them under the punch table while he looked to make sure no one would catch him, which is when I bumped into him."

"So, he spiked the punch, just so people wouldn't hate him for throwing a dull party?" Ranma asked.

"Yeah, pretty bad reason to do something huh?" she asked in return.

"Yeah," he agreed quietly.

"My catching him is an important part of the story though," she said solemnly.

"How?"

"Well, you see…"

- - -

"Phew! It's so hot in here," she said, fanning herself a bit, "I wonder if Kikuchi has refilled the punch bowl yet?"

"I know not," Kuno intoned, still looking slightly sullen, "for I am not his keeper."

"Kuno-chan," she said flatly, "you're barely the keeper of yourself, I wouldn't expect you to be able to be another's keeper."

"Bah," he said dismissively, "that is your opinion and your opinion alone. Never confuse it with fact, you merchant of lies."

"I'm sooo hurt," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm gonna go check on the punch, you want me to bring you a glass?"

"If it is free, then yes. If thy seeks to charge me, then I will employ my legs to carry me there."

"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes and walking away….

- - -

"I forgot to explain something," she said, halting the story in mid-stride.

"What?"

"The fact that Kikuchi refilled the punch bowl with mostly sake instead of punch."

"Huh?"

"There was just enough punch to cover the sake. I had never drank before, plus I was still feeling the effects of dancing heavily like I had been doing. Kuno, well, he was probably too stupid to realize something was wrong."

"I can believe that."

"Anyways…"

- - -

"Here you go Kuno-chan," she said teasingly, handing him a glass of punch as she took a huge gulp from hers. She noted an odd flavor that she had not had before, but shook it off as he might have mixed a different flavor of punch in.

"Thank you, and refrain from referring to me as that," he said, accepting the glass and taking a sip from it. It had a curious flavor, but he didn't know what it was.

Nabiki was feeling a little woozy as the punch worked it's way through her empty system like lightning. She took another drink, not quite sure what could be causing her wooziness. Things blurred a bit as the alcohol ravaged her mental facilities.

She giggled at the blur she assumed was Kuno.

"Whaat's sooo funnny?" he slurred, himself drunk from his own indulgence.

"Nooothing," she drawled, giggling again, "I think I may have danced toooo much."

"Ah," he replied wisely, or as wisely as someone who had ingested a beverage that was eighty percent sake and twenty percent punch.

"Wanna ssseee a coool trick?" she asked, swaying back and forth for a few seconds.

"Suuuure," he said, wobbling slightly.

Nabiki quickly managed to right herself, stuck her hand inside her top and began fidgeting. After a few seconds, she removed her hand with her bra clasped in it. She held it triumphantly for him to see, as though she won some outrageous bet with him.

"Ssseee," she crowed drunkenly, "isn't that coool?"

"Very," he agreed after a few seconds of examining the object to make it out, "but if that is in your hand, what's holding your b-b-breasts up?"

She raised an eyebrow at his stutter, before she made out what he said. She quickly undid her top and looked down at her bare breasts as she looked back up at him and asked, "These?"

He was taking a drink to calm his nerves when he heard her say something, which he promptly turned his eyes towards her and spits his drink out in shock. Several flashes and cheers go up as Kuno stares at her and her shamelessly bared chest. Several girls comment on Nabiki's bravery, while other's started gossiping about what this meant…

- - -

"And there you have it." Nabiki finished, breathing a sigh of relief to be finished with it.

"Wow," he said, "that's absolutely amazing."

"Isn't it though?" she asked, "I mean, if it were for the alcohol, I probably never would have done it."

"Well," he said, "probably not."

"What do you mean probably not?" she asked, confused.

"Well…" he said, unsure of how to word this, "maybe back then, you two were a lot more chummy than you are now."

"Just what are you getting at?" she demanded, that annoying sensation that the answer was just out of her reach buzzing in her head.

"That maybe Kuno liked you more than you realized," he answered calmly, relieved that he finally got what he wanted to say out of the way.

"Say what?!" she exclaimed in shock.

"Hey," he said, waving his hands in defense, "You're the one hanging around him all the time, I would think that you must like him to some degree. So, if that's the case, I wouldn't be surprised if you might voluntarily do what you did in the picture is all."

"Are you out of your mind?" she said loudly, "I can barely stomach him half of the time. If he wasn't such an easy mark, I'd have nothing to do with him!"

"Hey, calm down, I'm just saying," he said. "I'm not saying YOU like HIM, I'm just saying he might like you. I mean, considering your rep and how much he proclaims himself to be a champion of the people, it wouldn't be good for him to take up with one who could be considered an enemy of those same people."

"No way!" she shot back. "You've seen how crazy he goes over your girl-half and Akane. What makes you think he'd like me like that?"

"Because he's known you longer than both me and Akane?" he snapped back with a slight edge of heat. "Sometimes, I do think he's nuts over my girl side and Akane, and other times, it just seems forced."

"Forced?" she asked, puzzled by his word choice. "What do you mean forced?"

"It's too obvious at times that he is trying to win our affections, sometimes he even spouts the same poetry as he did the day before, or give the exact same speech from the previous encounter. But then, I've only known him for a month, so I can't be certain."

"But why would you think he'd be interested in me?" she asked, still confused by that point.

"I don't know," he said with a shrug. "Where does he usually meet you for pictures?"

"At the café downtown," she answered, not sure where this is leading.

"Does he buy you food?" he asked.

"What?"

"Does he buy you food?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer the question and you'll find out."

"Sometimes, yes. Ranma, what's so important about that?"

"Because, while I've never been on a date, that sounds an awful lot like a date that some of the girls in my class described."

Silence reigned over the pair, as they contemplated the possible revelations that had just been made clear. The awkward, yet pregnant, pause that had enveloped them hung thick like a wool blanket, suffocating all noise under it. Everything around them had gone into a deafening silence, not even the howl of the wind could break free of the quiet's grasp.

It lasted several more moments, each more tense than the last. When it finally broke, it was broken by the sound of a girl gasping in shock. This sound was quickly followed by a noise of inquiry, most noticeably male.

"What?" Ranma asked in concern, "What is it?"

"Nothing," Nabiki quickly replied, "nothing at all."

"Oh really?" he asked, slightly put off that she didn't seem to want to tell him what had upset her.

"Yes really," she snapped back curtly. "Lunch is about over, and I have some things to think over. I'll see you after school."

"Fine," he grumbled, getting up, "see if I ever open up to you."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, just get going already. You got what you wanted, ok?"

"Yeah, yeah."

On that sour note, Ranma ran back up the hill, leaving Nabiki alone. She couldn't help but feel as though she had done something wrong. It was an unusual feeling for her, as she rarely regretted what actions.

'Damn it, Ranma,' she mentally cursed, 'I can't tell you everything. At least, not yet anyways.'

Still, the unsettling implication that Kuno might have been covertly dating her these past few months did not sit well with her. She wasn't interested in him, and he showed no interest in her, so why would he do something like that? It was completely preposterous, a foolish notion thought up by some socially backward boy.

Plus, it was giving Kuno entirely too much credit.

Still, she had some measure of guilt coursing through her. She didn't mean to shut him out like that, it was just she needed some time to think to herself. He was jumping a little too hard at the good friend aspect of their relationship, something that disappointed her greatly.

Maybe she'd apologize later, but it was doubtful…

- - -

Meanwhile, at the Kuno mansion, Kuno Kodachi was getting ready to get dressed for the evening. On the one hand, she wanted to dress properly like her mother taught her, but on the other, she only had her idiotic brother who might not notice that she was prancing around naked. Tatewaki could be charming in his delusion obliviousness, but it often wore thin.

The "poisons" she put into his food were merely a means of getting him placated around home. She rarely used any powder, only using it when he was purposely annoying her. She didn't know if she could bear it if she let the staff prepare his food and medication, she'd never have any peace!

The horrid things she'd do to him just for some quiet time around the Mansion.

But they were oh so necessary, as brother dearest often would make some noise about something. Sometimes, she would drug the snack she'd often bring him to dull the nightmares of their father's insanity that he would have. It was an evil, underhanded way to keep him in line, but she was at a lost as to how to deal with it other wise.

She'd figure something more permanent out later, but for now, she was content.

Ranma, her great and mighty Ranma-sama, a specimen of a man to be sure, but looks weren't everything. Part of her chase was just for the amusement of seeing that harridan Akane grind her teeth in anger at her antics. The other part, was that she felt something for the blithering fool of a boy, but she knew she did not love him to the obsessive bent she showed.

But alas, to keep up appearances as they are, she would continue to moon over him for little reason.

Kodachi sighed as she got dressed, idly sniffing one of her black roses as she remembered her mother. Her mother was every bit the proper noble women, gracious and humble. Kodachi missed her mother dearly and did her best to remember her.

She was, after all, her mother's daughter.

As was her elder brother her mother's son, overbearing yet loveable in his own way, lout that he is. But it always seemed to her that he still loved playing the pretend game that they would play as a family on Sundays. Her father would play the great Daimyo, her mother, his wife. She had the role of proper court maiden while her brother played the noble samurai protecting his lord.

It was a great and silly time for them all. One of the few times that they actually were close as a family. Tatewaki had been so happy then, no wonder he was always playing the samurai.

He was hoping Mother would come home, or maybe he could find her if he was strong enough.

'Heh,' Kodachi thought, a slight tear tracing down her face. 'Tachi loved her so, probably more so than his two destined loves. How I wish she would be able to come home, but alas.. it is not to be..'

She cut off her thoughts there, knowing that the tears were threatening to pour down her cheeks in great torrents. No one had ever broken the truth to Tatewaki that his mother was dead, but he knew implicitly that she was gone. The fact that his invincible samurai might couldn't save her only drove him further into dementia. She wished dearly that the sweet boy her brother was would just come back to her, so she wouldn't have to be cruel to him.

But she knew that it too, was not to be.

'Mother,' she silently thought, 'perhaps I really should try harder to win Ranma-sama's affections. I don't want to grow into a miserly old woman.'

How to do that was a source of great ponderance. She had a good inkling that she made him nervous, and not for the attention she would lavish upon him. Her often aloof attitude made it hard for her to be around him without him cringing in terror.

She did not understand what was so fearsome about herself. In all honesty, she was frail in comparison to him, yet he seemed to shirk away from her whenever she was near. Maybe it was the way she presented herself, or maybe it was something else.

'But what is it?' she thought. 'Just what is wrong with me that he seems to be put off by? Mother help me please.'

Unbidden, the memory of when she had shown up at his school came back to her. He had seemed quick to cower from her, as though she were hideous. Of course, her tears had managed to get him to confess that it wasn't that.

Was it how she usually acted that caused her to unconsciously push him away?

'Maybe I could soften my image to him,' she silently admitted. 'He might not be used to how a proper lady may act, which leaves the poor darling frightened by what he doesn't know. But how am I to do that?'

With that, she began to scour her room for clues to help her soften her image to Ranma. It would be hard to change herself dramatically if that was what it would take, but she hoped she wouldn't have to go too far. She wanted to attract him to Kuno Kodachi, not some façade that she had created to cater towards his tastes.

After all, how was she to know if he truly loved her if she cultivated herself to his ideals too much? She wanted Ranma, she made no real bones about that, but to how far she wanted to go to have him was as much a mystery to her as it was to everyone else. She again wondered just how far she would go for him, and if she really wanted to go that far.

She had to consider the fact that she might not succeed.

Pushing the negative thoughts and emotions down, she spotted a catalog for a pet store on her nightstand. She snatched it up and began leafing through it at a breakneck pace. In her whirlwind search, she managed to formulate various plans with other animals she came across until she found it.

It was perfect!

There was an adorable picture of a girl holding a kitten close to her cheek and smiling brightly. How anyone could find that frightening was beyond her, and quite frankly, she didn't really care at this point. Elated to have this clue set in front of her, Kodachi practically skipped from the room as she sought to appropriate this vital necessity.

The cackling from the Kuno Mansion became two-fold and a certain pig-tailed boy shivered in trepidation….

End Chapter 7

Teaser for Chapter 8:

Kuno shuffled his feet nervously as he glanced cautiously at the box at his feet, filled to the brim with unsettling creatures. He was fright- no, made uncomfortable by all of the slimy things, to the point his skin crawled when he even glanced at them. But he would not be denied, his quest was far too important.

Today Saotome Ranma, top cur amongst all curs, would finally be brought to justice!

He chuckled, then quickly silenced himself as something in the box seemed to move. After a few tense seconds, he resumed breathing, the bandages on his ribs easing the injury he suffered only yesterday. He had put hard work in the drama department crafting that war mask, and for Saotome to destroy it so callously, it was just another injustice to wrought swift vengeance upon him.

How the fiend would wail for mercy once the Blue Thunder had finally defeated his magics and freed his loves. They would leap in his arms and lavish him with thanks and affection, their joy at being free would show through to all. He could almost feel their warmth now….

"Why is Kuno-sempai hugging himself?" a passing student queried another.

"I don't know, and even if I did know I don't think I'd wanna know," his companion answered, averting his gaze and walking faster.

Kuno narrowed his eyes. How dare these fools mock him as though he were not there! He would show them the errors of their ways!

He grasped his bokken and jerked it upward mightily, loosening the tie on his Hakama, causing the folds to come undone. As was his usual wont, he had no secondary pants on, therefore exposing his apparent love of teddy bear boxers. Of course, so caught up his desire to punish these miscreants, he had not noticed the chill down below as he set off after them.

"Oh, Kuno-sempai, put some clothes on!" a girl cried, dismayed at the sight of the nearly-half naked Kendoist bounding about.

"…..Are those teddy bears on his shorts?" another girl drolly deadpanned.

"I think they are," yet another girl answered cutely, though her disgusted tone distorted the effect somewhat.

Finally glancing down, he noticed that his Hakama had suddenly vanished, leaving him unduly exposed. With a yelp, he charged back to his tree, face burning in embarrassment as he hastily redressed. The crowd had erupted into raucous laughter by now, compounding his shame even further.

Somehow, he knew this was all Saotome's fault…

Notes on Chapter 7:

It's worth noting that if the flashbacks confuse you, they are done more in the vein of television style then any type of perspective. Also, I know I was a bit gratuitous with them, but what the hey, it could have been a lot worse then it was. Anyways, sorry for the wait, but this chapter is in the books, and hopefully, I'll get the Nekoken and Cologne out of the way. Later.


	8. The Revenge of the Blue Thunder Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½, Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Communications. Don't sue me, I'm just having fun here, and I will never profit from this. That's all.

Author Notes: Chapter 8.… how about that? I keep plugging along, and hopefully I'll have this done before summer arrives, but don't hold your breath. Wouldn't want any of you to suffocate….. coughs. Anyways, let's get this started, as you're not here to listen to me ramble, you're here to read the fic. presses a button on the projector, starting up the opening credits until the title screen.

First I Giveth

Chapter 8: The Revenge of the Blue Thunder Part 2

By Marik Kurakashi

Night had firmly settled upon the district of Nerima without much fanfare. There had been no shouting matches or odd martial arts challenges, just a normal evening for a district that was anything but that. If one hadn't lived there very long, one would not really recognize the difference between this nightfall and any other.

But for one man, the night was anything but peaceful.

Ono Tofu tossed in his sleep as another nightmare wracked his brain. What was a peaceful day for him had turned into an overly stormy night. There were all these weird, jumbled images that assaulted him at random, tearing at the edge of his consciousness and causing him unrest.

Then there were the voices, some quiet and pleading, others loud and demanding. What they were saying was impossible to tell, as they were often in tongues for some strange reason. His mind was beset by some foul presence, and it was determined to prevent him from gaining any rest.

The question of why hung thick in his mind as he blearily opened his eyes and quickly checked the time. 1:34 AM, the digital clock read, its red light causing him to squint to keep it from irritating his eyes. His mind quickly caught up and boggled at the information provided by the clock.

1:34 AM, the time rolled around in his brain. He had been trying to sleep for only four hours, yet it felt like days had passed since he laid down. He silently cursed Father Time, if only in a weak attempt to make himself feel better and get his mind of those nightmares.

But like all storms, they had to end sometime.

He would weather this storm, if not outright conquer it. He lead a simple, yet peaceful life, with few enemies and more than a few friends. His patients were friendly and complimentary, his colleagues were respectful and often sought advice from him.

His family always prayed at the shrines when they could, as well as avoided anyone who would sic evil spirits upon them. He had not eaten anything harmful or strange before bed, thus he arrived at a most improbable quandary. What was causing this most turbulent of nights, and how was he to make it go away?

It was almost enough to make him want to get up and actually try to piece this mystery together. But he needed rest, whatever amount he had managed to get, so there was no time for riddles in the twilight. His patients depended on him, gave their very well being over to him, and that kind of trust he could not betray.

So for now, he snuggled deeper into the covers, hoping for slumber and this night to be over soon.

- -

Morning finally broke over Nerima, its idyllic calm warming the souls of those that always greeted its first rays. Kasumi was her usual busy self, preparing the morning meal with time honed ease and loving practice. While it may not have been a blissful life of ease, it was enough for the simple girl.

Habits were amazing things in their simple complexity. They were often easy to form, yet very hard to break. Bonds formed by a few light taps of the hammer often needed to be cut asunder. Such was the case for the eldest Tendo girl, as it would have been easy for her to get everyone else to pitch in more around the house.

But she was used to doing it, as well as used to not having help. Sure, she never tried carpentry and was clueless when it came to spackling, but she made up for it other areas. Like making sure to try and defuse tempers whenever she could.

Holes in the wall or ceiling often taunted the poor girl's sense of good housekeeping. Her inability to defeat them like the dust bunnies on the carpet, or a really tough stain on the kitchen counter stuck in her craw. That feeling was one she didn't particularly like, so she often sought ways to prevent it when ever she could.

That practice would have to be suspended in light of recent revelations.

In recent days, Akane's favorite activity of quarreling with Ranma seemed to have been shelved. It was to her great relief that it had been, her temper being a little more stilted before Ranma came. In fact, his arrival seemed to curtail her sister's habit of venting on the poor house.

Of course, there was the mystery of what was developing between their pig-tailed guest and Nabiki. While a friendship between the two was not something she was against, the outright secrecy and minor paranoia put her off base in more ways than one. Though, if dinner last night had been any indication, they had hit a sudden snag as they seemed unwilling to talk to each other outside of asking for something to be passed to them.

She wondered what could have happened that caused their friendship to stall out like it did. Shaking her head, Kasumi turned back to her morning preparations so she could be done before everyone else had woken up. She was sure it wouldn't be long before everyone else was up and about, filling the house with the sound of activity once more.

And thus, the routine would begin again.

- -

Breakfast had been eaten and the school bound trio was once more off to school. This morning had been different in the eyes of the younger of the school bound sisters, as Ranma and Nabiki seem to stay away from one another rather than the close proximity of the past few days. It was odd to see the two, who had been so buddy-buddy for the past few days, staying as far apart as possible now.

The reason for this eluded her, and she wondered why their sudden avoidance of one another filled her with dread. Perhaps because if whatever tiff between them is quashed, then they will probably be closer for it. Well, she wasn't too sure of that, as they seemed to be avoiding one another like the other carried some horrible disease.

Akane frowned to herself, she should be trying to formulate a way to take advantage of this apparent rift between the two to save Ranma. But then, did he need saving anymore? After all, maybe Nabiki had already tried to sink her claws into him and he rebuked her, thus leading to their standoffish mood.

She hoped that was the case anyways.

Quickly deciding to move off Ranma, she decided to think about what she should do in order to make sure that when this was passed, the apparent closeness between the two remained friendly. While she lacked Kasumi's domestic skills and Nabiki's planning skills, she did make up for it with earnest effort and genuine exuberance. But what could she possibly do that Ranma would see that she was the best one for him?

Martial arts was a common ground, but the gap in skills between them made it impossible for her to impress him through that avenue. She didn't really think that opening herself to Ranma's taunting was THAT good of an idea anyways, lest she fly off the handle and hit him. True, she didn't hit him that often, but she often felt like a heel, rather than the relief she usually got from pounding on a pervert.

Pervert, there was that awful word that had sent Ranma up in a tizzy when he arrived. Though she felt justified in proclaiming him as such, she couldn't escape the feeling that she was the one in the wrong for it. Maybe because it was the fact that Ranma had yet to taunt her until she had called him that.

She could apologize, but felt that would do no good in the long run.

Jumping back, she narrowly avoided the water from the old lady, wondering again why it was targeting her. Maybe the chaos of Nerima was actually sentient and liked to run on a schedule, thus the old lady would always hit the sidewalk at that particular moment. Or maybe she was just thinking to much about it, which was probably it.

By now, Ranma had probably reached the school minutes after Nabiki, thus leaving her no chance to actually speak with him before class. In fact, outside of the occasional comment at breakfast and small conversation at dinner, he had deftly avoided her for the last few days. It hurt to think that he was avoiding her as well, as though she had done something to offend him.

And what that was, she hadn't a clue. She had been moderately nice to him before the avoidance, with a bit of light teasing about Shampoo. Her face twisted into a grimace, as she decided to run to get to school, thoughts of her temporary memory loss at the hands of the Amazon flashed through her mind.

Was that why he avoided her? It mattered very little, as she couldn't waste any more time dallying like this, lest she have to stand in the hall again. Lifting her head, she could sense a disturbance in the distance, a sure sign of a battle between Kuno and Ranma.

Regardless of how much it annoyed her, she certainly didn't want to miss Kuno getting put in his place again.

- -

Kuno shuffled his feet nervously as he glanced cautiously at the box at his feet, filled to the brim with unsettling creatures. He was fright- no, made uncomfortable by all of the slimy things, to the point his skin crawled when he even glanced at them. But he would not be denied, his quest was far too important.

Today Saotome Ranma, top cur amongst all curs, would finally be brought to justice! Oh how he would tremble in fear when confronted with the horrors he had gathered in that box. Why, it was doubtful he would have to even take a swing at Saotome before the dog released his spells.

He chuckled, then quickly silenced himself as something in the box seemed to move. After a few tense seconds, he resumed breathing, the bandages on his ribs easing the injury he suffered only yesterday. He had put hard work in the drama department crafting that war mask, and for Saotome to destroy it so callously, it was just another injustice to wrought swift vengeance upon him.

How the fiend would wail for mercy once the Blue Thunder had finally defeated his magics and freed his loves. They would leap in his arms and lavish him with thanks and affection, their joy at being free would show through to all. He could almost feel their warmth now….

"Why is Kuno-sempai hugging himself?" a passing student queried another.

"I don't know, and even if I did know I don't think I'd wanna know," his companion answered, averting his gaze and walking faster.

Kuno narrowed his eyes. How dare these fools mock him as though he were not there! He would show them the errors of their ways!

He grasped his bokken and jerked it upward mightily, loosening the tie on his Hakama, causing the folds to come undone. As was his usual wont, he had no secondary pants on, therefore exposing his apparent love of teddy bear boxers. Of course, so caught up his desire to punish these miscreants, he had not noticed the chill down below as he set off after them.

"Oh, Kuno-sempai, put some clothes on!" a girl cried, dismayed at the sight of the nearly-half naked Kendoist bounding about.

"…..Are those teddy bears on his shorts?" a guy drolly deadpanned.

"I think they are," another girl answered cutely, though her disgusted tone distorted the effect somewhat.

Finally glancing down, he noticed that his Hakama had suddenly vanished, leaving him unduly exposed. With a yelp, he charged back to his tree, face burning in embarrassment as he hastily redressed. The crowd had erupted into raucous laughter by now, compounding his shame even further.

Somehow, he knew this was all Saotome's fault… In fact, here came the demon himself now, following that foul Mercenary as well. His time for revenge was nigh, he could taste victory's sweet nectar as visions of Saotome's defeat played before his eyes.

Hefting the box carefully, Kuno made his way from behind the tree. A quick pat assured him he was fully dressed, thus ensuring the foul one's end. Gaining speed without jarring the box, Kuno charged straight at Ranma like a bull who had seen red.

"Whoa!" Ranma exclaimed, drawn out of his thoughts by having to leap over the kendoist's mad charge.

"Hold still, miscreant!" Kuno snapped, taking a rather noble pose that looked completely ridiculous thanks to the box in his hands.

"So what's with the box, Kuno?" Ranma asked, a taunting edge to his question. "Forgot your stick at home?"

"Ah, Saotome Ranma, only a fool such as yourself would be unaware of the doom this box contained!" the elder boy arrogantly proclaimed, tossing his head back and laughing.

"I would call you crazy, Kuno," Ranma said, taking a ready stance, "but that would just be redundant."

"Be silent foul dog!" the crazed kendoist bellowed, placing the box under his left arm as he clenched his right hand into a fist. "For far too long, thou hast mocked me Saotome. But today, thy tyranny ends! The pig-tailed girl and Tendo Akane shall be free to love me as they were meant to, while you turn to dust and bother us no more!"

"Yeah, right," the pig-tailed youth retorted, rolling his eyes in response to the ravings coming from the elder boy. "So what's in this box, anyways? I mean, it has to be something if you're saying it's my doom and all that."

"Only someone as ignorant and stupid as you Saotome, would ask to be shown his end." Kuno said, chuckling in wistful happenstance as he once more envisioned the terrified Ranma being felled by his hand.

"So there's nothin' in the box then," Ranma quipped, speaking quickly in order to get it in between the delusional fool's next salvo of hot air. "All it is, is an excuse to have me stand here while you bore me into submission."

"This box contains your demise, as I have previously stated, Saotome." Kuno shot back in annoyance, "You should not be so hasty to dismiss what horrors are contained within this mere box."

"_Then_ let's _see_ **it**," Ranma replied, emphasizing most of his words, wanting to get this over with.

"Very well," Kuno snapped, "meet thy doom, impudent fool!" With that, he tossed the contents of the box onto Ranma.

As the surrounding students gasped and made various noises of fear and dismay, Ranma stood pat and simply waited for the doom to come. Sensing nothing more coming, Ranma studied what was tossed on him and found an enormous sense of disappointment filling him. Was this it? He was supposed to be downed by a few non-poisonous snakes, toads and maybe even a rat, none of these animals particularly vicious by any standard?

He frowned as the crazed kendoist stared in shock as his plan suddenly failed. Couldn't the idiot have had the decency to get something that would have actually have posed a problem to him? Apparently, the two shared vastly different definitions of threatening, something he was sure to take advantage of.

Quickly gathering as many of the creatures as he could, Ranma then proceeded to chuck them back at his insane schoolmate.

Kuno found himself in a sudden predicament. He had watched his plan fail, which is why he only stared dumbly as Ranma quickly gathered his supposed method of victory and hurled them back at him. He felt himself grow disgusted at the sensations these creatures were sending through his body.

Above all else, he knew he had to endure this setback. He was a man, nay, a Samurai of the highest stock. His strength was legendary, so legendary that the Heavens themselves often gabbed but his perfect skills and often championed him to defeat all who would oppose their will.

It seemed that the demons of the Underworld had found themselves a champion of evil, one who continued to thwart the Heavens and called for a righteous smiting rather than a simple defeat. Thus he continued to battle against Saotome Ranma, the foul Champion of evil, even though it seemed he was outmatched by his evil powers. He had two reasons beyond the will of the Kami themselves, two reasons that he continued to taste the vile flavor of defeat: his cherished loves who he knew were supporting him to free them from this evil beast.

He could see them weeping in his mind, fearful of this cursed dog ravaging them for its own pleasure.

He trembled as fear and sorrow wracked his body. He had failed them again, had left them to the perverted desires of this horrible fiend. His plan had backfired, as it was he who was brought down by his helpers, not his foe.

Another spasm of fear shuddered through him, as his body's natural impulses of fear gave in to the terror being wrought upon it. It had not the fearlessness of his spirit, thus it was susceptible to such base fear. He would endure this, as he was a Samurai, thus he would get through this as any who were of Samurai stock would.

He screamed in terror and fainted.

Ranma, for his part, rolled his eyes at the shrieking of the older boy. Didn't he get that a man shouldn't scream like that? No matter how scary those things were supposed to be, he should've just sucked it up and ignored them.

Of course, his views on how a man should act were a bit warped for the most part, but that didn't stop him from snorting in contempt and stomping off to class. He caught a glimpse of Nabiki as he walked past her, his eyes meeting hers briefly before she turned away from him.

He shook his head, unable to figure the girl out, and quickly decided to worry about her later. He didn't really understand her standoffish behavior towards him, but figured that it had something to do with his assumption that she and Kuno had been an unofficial couple. An involuntary shudder quickly wracked his body as he thought about the implications that statement held.

Okay, so maybe he COULD understand why she seemed pissed off by that.

He couldn't do anything about that now, he had been late to class enough as it was. He quickly hurried towards class, missing Akane calling for him to wait up. The girl came up short and stared after the retreating form of her fiancé, annoyance and fear racking her body as he continued on without a sign of hearing her.

What had she done for him to avoid her like this? She hadn't said anything nasty to him in the past few days, heck, she had even refrained from hitting him at all. It was baffling, as it was apparent Nabiki had not sunk her claws into him, so he wasn't ignoring her at her sister's behest.

But why would he ignore her like this? The late bell sounded, signaling the fact that she had stood there for far too long. Cursing under her breath, she quickly hurried up in the hope of sneaking in the classroom to avoid bucket duty.

The puzzle that was Ranma, their engagement, and where her older sister fit into it would just have to wait for now.

- -

Meanwhile, across the district, Kuno Kodachi was playing hooky in order to shop about for the pet that would bring Ranma to her. Sure, she could have done it after school, but she needed the time spent shopping to figure out how to best approach Ranma from a less haughty stance. The pet wouldn't make up for personality, especially if she continued to look down her nose at people below her station.

After all, she had strong feelings for one of those supposed peasants, something that surely should effect her view of people of lower class standings. That must have been another thing that irked Ranma, as her attitude towards others of his station had only served to make him uncomfortable instead of feeling blessed. She would have to also make the attempt not to look down on others, as it would seem to lessen her feelings for him.

Pausing, she gazed into a pet shop window and wondered if she really should make such sudden and sweeping changes to herself. While the reward _was_ nice, the risk was great, the potential pain even greater. Shaking it off, she decided to worry about the consequences later, as thoughts of failure only bred more of its kin.

She had no intention of failing at all.

Coming to a stop, she stared into the next pet shop window, eyeballing all the excessively cute animals. It would be hard pressed for anyone to be intimidated by her if she carried one of these creatures around wherever she went. The thought slightly sickened her, but when weighed against having Ranma afraid of her, she quickly got over it.

Deciding that this had the best array of animals, she quickly entered the shop in order to get an even closer look at them. She looked at the cages, memories of searching for a pet when she was younger flooding her mind as she took in the various pets. Kittens, puppies, an assortment of exotic birds and fishes all caught her eye as she appraised them each for their merit in disarming Ranma.

She stopped by a display of kittens, enthralled by their cuteness as they mewed for her in hopes of going home with her. She smiled at their enthusiasm, amused that they seemed to sense her need for them in her noble quest. Turning about, she went to look around the store, but kept a part of her mind on that particular display case.

Perhaps what she was looking for was right there.

The shopkeeper, for his part, simply smiled as the girl walked around his store in wonder of the animals. He was attuned to the signs of people who sought to purchase from him, and those whom were merely window shopping. This girl, however, gave off a sense that she was looking for something special, perhaps a gift for a loved one or someone equally important to her.

To that end, he left her alone.

Kodachi had finally finished her tour of the shop and returned to the first display of kittens she had seen. They had been hard to shake, as they had been simply too adorable for her to forget. She shrewdly examined them all as she appraised their cuteness and disarming factor, looking for that perfect one to soften her image.

She finally spotted one that stood out amongst the others, one that seemed to outshine all the others. Its fur was pure white except for a curious black ring around its right eye. It looked so unusual that people would be more likely distracted by its presence to be made uncomfortable by her.

It was perfect in all fields.

"Shopkeeper," she said, managing to restrain her arrogant tone to something less snooty.

"Yes miss?" he queried in return, a slight smile on his face.

"I would like to purchase one of these kittens," she said, with no trace of bossiness, just a simple statement made by a simple girl.

"Sure thing," he said, coming out from behind the counter and over to the display. "Which one you want?"

"That one," she said, pointing to the white kitten with the black ring around its eye.

"Sure thing," he said, opening it, then grabbing the kitten that was requested.

The transaction had gone smoothly, as such, Kodachi was making her way from the pet store with her new kitten in tow. She hadn't decided on a name just yet, but she would get to that later. She had to focus on the more important thing, which was to keep up the normal girl act in front of Ranma.

It wouldn't do to break back into her haughty arrogance when around Ranma and that Tendo girl. Oh, and that Tendo girl's family would have to be extended that courtesy too, or it would just blow up in her face. So she would have to ignore any digs that may come her way from them, as she had her eyes on a prize that would make up for the sting of the insults.

And when she had Ranma, she wouldn't have to care about Tendo Akane's feelings anymore.

- -

Later that day, the school going trio had returned home from their mutual activity. Upon arriving home, they had all went their separate ways, all in an effort to escape the thick blanket of silence that had covered their walk home. Not a word had passed between them on the way home, which made for a curious sight as they all seemed that they wanted to say something, but something stopped them at the last second.

Now separate, each had found a weight that had been pressing onto their shoulders had lifted, leaving them with some excess energy to burn. Akane had decided to occupy the dojo, while Ranma sought out his father to get an extra hour of practice in, as Nabiki decided to some aerobics in her room. Anything, as long as they avoided speaking to one another.

Kasumi had silently watched their apparent unease with one another with frank worry. It was never a good thing when her sisters were at odds with one another, add in the pig-tailed youth unwittingly causing said rift, and well it was enough to make anyone wring their hands in worry. She would try to make overtures of peace at the dinner, as well as she could without Genma clueing into what she was hinting at.

But for now, she allowed them space or else they would simply reject whatever help she offered.

Out in the backyard, Ranma was staring down his father. He had to push it from his mind, purge the worry and unease and focus back on the art. The art had yet to betray him, and was always there as a crutch when life threatened to overwhelm him.

The art didn't have feelings, nor could it say harmful things to make him feel worthless. The art couldn't stamp on him for accidentally opening a can of worms he had no clue were there. The art most certainly didn't make him feel stupid for trying to be friends with someone.

He managed to get his mind on the fight again, as he sailed through the air from being thrown by his father. He twisted about and managed to regain enough control to land on top of the garden wall. It had been years since his father could toss him that easily, a sure sign that he wasn't paying attention.

Again he focused himself, as he sprang from the wall and came roaring in with a hard right. His father barely ducked under it, shuddering as the current created by the swing caused his bandana to flutter on his head. Thinking on his feet, Genma hopped back from his son and kept hopping until he was a safe distance from the boy.

"What's the matter boy?" the father queried, his gruff tone masking his concern and fear. "It's not like you to be this wound up."

"Nothin' pop," Ranma said, shaking his head as he calmed down. "Just some stupid thing at school is all."

"Really?" the portly man asked, noticing something off about the reply, "What's bothering you then?"

"It's nothing," the pig-tailed boy grunted, taking a fighting stance. "Let's get back to sparring."

"Are you sure you want to spar?" came the elder Saotome retort, "It sounds to me like you just want to beat on something to get rid of some frustration."

"And if you don't get ready, you're gonna be that something." the son snapped back, annoyed that he couldn't purge these annoyances from himself.

"Why don't you just tell me what's bothering, boy?" Genma asked simply, shaking his head at his son's lack of control.

"Fine!" Ranma snapped, relaxing from his stance as he eyeballed his father. "It's just that some idiot threw some animals on me, as though I was supposed to have a breakdown in fear or somethin'."

"That's it? You tried to knock me goofy over something as simple as THAT?" Genma snorted, his eyes rolling eyes.

"That's not all, but I'm not saying anything, because I doubt you would understand." Ranma said, turning around.

"Why you ungrateful boy! Here I am, trying to be a good father and allow you to unburden yourself and this is the thanks I get!" Genma wailed indignantly.

"Well if you wanna know, you gotta catch me first!" Ranma said, chuckling as he took off.

"Come back here boy!" Genma mock roared, chasing after his son in a reversal of one of their old games.

Ranma bounded all about the yard, his worries forgotten for now. He finally had the fat fool chasing after him, something he had always wanted after all the times he had chased the old man. He was the one in control, and it actually made him feel good to have someone like his Pop around.

Unbeknownst to either Saotome, or the Tendos in the house, they had a pair of visitors. They hadn't announced themselves, nor would they. Kodachi had heard Ranma and his father in the backyard, talking about something, so she hid by the gate as fast as she could. Once she saw him coming towards her position, she leaped into action!

Ranma was having a whale of a time, as he was giving his father a good work out. He didn't see Kodachi as he came towards her, nor did he when he landed in front of her. His eyes were fixed on the-the-the THING in her arms.

And the world faded to black for him as he fainted.

- -

In the dojo, Akane exercised repeatedly as she continued to try and beat down her frustration. She had warred with herself to keep from confronting Nabiki about her sudden interest in Ranma. It was too early to show her hand, to show that she had an noticed the shift in their behavior towards one another.

She had planned to rescue Ranma from her sister, as such, she needed to gather enough information to accurately present her concerns in a reasonable manner to her sister. If she went in there yelling, she'd probably be washing the windows of Furinkan in her underwear if she wasn't careful. No, this called for tactics and a clear-head. She would have the battles all on her terms, with victory assured first.

Her feet made a steady thump as she formulated plans. She would have to actually start trying to get Ranma's attention now, seeing as he and Nabiki had a falling out. Once she was sure of having him suitably out from whatever scheme her sister had hatched to ensnare him, she would confront her sister and get all the sordid details of that plan, just for peace of mind.

Of course, her planning would go a lot easier if those idiots in the backyard would quiet down.

Again, she told herself she was doing this for the good of Ranma, not for any interest she may have in him. She didn't really want to be engaged to him, but she did admire his ability to try and tell the truth once in a while. She also admired several other things about him, not the least of which was his considerable skill in the art.

This rare beast, this beautiful and naïve boy Saotome Ranma, had to be preserved from the harshness of reality. He had to be protected from those who would dare take advantage of his good nature and using them for their own wicked end. This boy, as smooth as polished silver, had to keep his luster, lest he lose his unique traits and become dull like all the rest.

Which is why she tore from the dojo when she heard him scream…..

- -

Up in her room, Nabiki was doing her aerobics as she had always done them, slow and steady, in a nice orderly fashion. Aerobics were easy to manage, there were no curveballs the system of exercise could throw at you, no real detours from the straight and narrow. So she was content to just pour through her routine over and over again.

She was at war with herself, feeling right in being standoffish towards Ranma, and feeling wrong for not forgetting what he said. This was a new position for her, having to feel split on a decision that was made in haste. Usually, she was often right when she made them, and it never bothered her before. Of course, she didn't live with, nor see much of, the subjects of those decisions.

She constantly tried to put aside the feeling that she should apologize for snapping at him like that, but it continued to gnaw at the edge of her mind like a termite. Finally stopping her exercise, Nabiki leaned against the wall and thought about how to apologize for something like this. It wasn't like she could just tell him sorry without certain undesirable elements hearing what she was apologizing for and why.

Beyond everything else, her sisters and Mr. Saotome had to be kept in the dark to the details.

Nabiki had an inkling of how mad Akane may be, should her baby sister learn of her older sister's interest in her fiancé. Akane didn't like it when someone poached on what she considered hers, but she was far from a brat. In fact, her infamous temper was mainly attributed to a few isolated incidents and a ridiculous amount of embellishment.

But that wasn't to say this wouldn't set her off. Akane was very forgiving of a lot of things, just there was a line when taking stopped and giving started. Nabiki was sure that most of the blame would be shifted onto Ranma, with a severe amount of shouting and guilt being shoveled onto her.

Kasumi, on the other hand, was a wild card. The eldest Tendo daughter made no bones about her disapproval of the fights between Ranma and Akane, mainly because the fights themselves were incredibly childish. Kasumi was unsettled by how much tension there was between the two despite being acquainted for less than a month.

Above all else, she feared Kasumi way more than Akane. When Kasumi went from big sister, to BIG Sister, it was a cause for concern and worry, as it took a lot for Kasumi to put her foot down. Too often had Nabiki encountered BIG Sister Kasumi, and it left her feeling meek and scared. How could someone so gentle and nice make what would be a simple prank seem like it was going to offend the Emperor?

The reactions of her sisters would be something that would hopefully come later, as she doubted she could handle it now.

Deciding to focus back on her apology, Nabiki sat down on her bed and thought. It couldn't be a simple sorry, or even an I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. No, this had to be a true, honest, and sincere apology, one that would put her back on good terms with him.

A small, shrinking part of her wondered why she was going to such links for some boy when she could easily find someone else. Then she recalled how it felt when she talked to him about things that second night, and how it felt when he gave her that manga. Where would she find a guy who would be more concerned about who she was, instead of how easy she was to lay?

That question would have to wait, as Ranma's scream pierced the air, causing Nabiki to sprint from her room to find out why….

- -

Some time later, a shell shocked Kodachi returned home to her mansion. She simply couldn't believe what she had learned while at the Tendos. How could her darling Ranma-sama have such a ridiculous fear? It was simply preposterous for anyone to fear something that mundane.

And yet, she heard his scream when he saw it, as well as watched him faint. She had fled mainly in shock, as well as having no desire to deal with the Tendo sisters and their base accusations. It was just so shocking to see her brave Ranma-sama just collapse like that from the sight of it.

Maybe he really wasn't so flawless after all.

"Sister," Tatewaki intoned behind her, "you are late coming home from school. Where were you?"

"Brother," Kodachi returned tiredly, turning towards him, "do not bother me with your nonsense. I have had a trying day, all I request is that you allow me to rest now."

"Answer me!" he thundered back, stepping closer with a look of anger on his face. "As man of this House, I am entitled to answers!"

"All you're entitled to," she said slowly, rolling her eyes at the display, "is to go soak your head in the moat."

"And allow that demon pet of yours to fest on my head? Never!"

"Then leave me alone, Brother."

"Nay Sister," came the elder sibling's reply, "I refuse because I believe you have been seeing that cur Saotome again."

"And if I have?" she asked, stepping away from him in an effort to avoid this conversation. "What of it?"

"I knew it!" he bellowed, reaching out to grab her by the shoulder, which prompted Kodachi to shove him away. "You know of my rivalry with that fiend, why do you seek to take up in his arms?"

"Because I do not share the same feelings as you, Brother," she snapped, gritting her teeth. "Who I choose to give my heart to has nothing to do with you."

"It has everything to do with me!" he hollered, stepping close once more. "You, my last remaining kin, I cannot bear the thought of harm befalling you. I forbid you to pursue him further."

"**TACCHI!**" she screamed, "You are not Father! You have no right to make such a demand of me!"

"Do not start with me!" he snarled, his face twisting into a mask of fury. "I have lost my two loves to him, I will not lose my sister as well!"

"You've lost nothing!" she shot back, her composure gone from both her brother's words and the incident with Ranma earlier. "You have to have something in order to lose it and you never had them to begin with!"

"Preposterous!" he bellowed, turning red, "That cur stole them from me!"

"Then why is it you carry on with Akane's older sister?" she demanded, playing her trump card early in order to win now and gain her peace. "You never just _ask_ Akane for a date, yet you can call up her sister and take her out to eat like it's nothing?"

"What are you getting at?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

"Brother _dear_," she sneered, "what I am getting at is the fact that you spend more time with her sister than her! If she is your love, then why are you always calling or writing her sister? Buying her sister gifts and meals, as if you didn't know what that may signify to someone who has less than full knowledge of your business arrangements with that mercenary?"

"I-wha-huh?" he babbled, clearly having never thought of this before.

"Did it ever occur to you that Akane rejects you because she doesn't want to encroach on her sister's territory?" she pressed, seizing the advantage while he was flat-footed.

"It… it could be." he answered, his anger forgotten by the weight of this revelation.

"Now," she said, deciding to at least give him some hope that he would not "lose" her. "I have some thinking to do on my feelings for Ranma-sama after this latest quirk of his I discovered."

"Oh?" he said, recovering slightly while pushing back the thoughts stirred up by Kodachi's earlier outburst. "Did you discover that he truly is the fiend I proclaim him to be?"

"Oh please," she said, rolling her eyes again and suppressing her urge to gag. "I just found he has a funny.. quirk to him is all."

"Such as?" he pressed, his interest piqued.

"It's just…. He's afraid of cats." she said in mock indignation. "Have you heard of anything so ridiculous?"

"He… is?" he asked in surprise, a plan beginning to hatch within the vast reaches of his alleged mind.

"Yes… now if I may be excused?" she asked, hoping that was all she would have to answer.

"Oh, yes. Yes, go on." he said, waving her away.

He didn't register his sister leaving, nor did he care. The Kami had finally given him his means to annihilate that cur Saotome once and for all! The dog was afraid of cats, a sure sign of its wickedness. If the foul sorcerer was afraid of cats, then…..

"Saotome Ranma, I shall send you to cat hell!" he proclaimed to the heavens, before dissolving into a fit of cackles.

End chapter 8.

Teaser for Chapter 9:

Akane and Nabiki had arrived at Ranma's side almost simultaneously. Both eyeballed each other for a long second before checking on the boy who was currently passed out in front of their gate. It seemed odd for him to faint for no reason, as he had plenty of energy in sparring against his father.

They were curious where the kitten came from, and why it seemed so cozy on Ranma's chest.

It simply perched there as if it belonged there, even if this was probably the first time this kitten and Ranma had met one another. It was even more peculiar that Ranma had a look of complete terror on his face, his mouth frozen in a scream. Neither Tendo sister knew what to make of it, both silent as they tried to make sense of this whole predicament.

Then Mr. Saotome landed.

"What was that boy of mine wailing about?" he asked, before he spotted the kitten and went silent.

"Saotome-san," Akane queried, "do you know what's wrong?"

"I-uh-me? Why would I know anything about this?" he shot back in defense, old guilt and a sense of dread running through his body.

"Because you've been with him for the past ten years," Nabiki answered, narrowing her eyes at the Saotome patriarch. "Let's hear what you know."

"I don't know anything." he said, looking around for some cold water.

"OUT WITH IT." both sisters demanded, employing a form of their father's old demon head trick, which made it appear as though they were towering over him.

"Urk! Um, it's just that the boy is afraid of cats…. Very of afraid of them. You could say he's almost scared to death of them, that you could." the portly man babbled, sincerely terrified.

"And why is that?" Akane pressed, her anger rising as she had an inclination that Genma was somehow behind this.

"uh hee-hee…" he chuckled, before bolting away in a bid to reach the pond.

Author notes: Well, it's finally done. Oh well, I'm sure those of you who still care will continue to read. Next up: The Neko-ken and the (hopeful) introduction of Cologne. Ciao.


	9. The Trouble with Kittens

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½, Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Communications. Don't sue me, I'm just having fun here, and I will never profit from this. That's all.

Author Notes for Chapter 9: Well, here we are at chapter 9. It's Neko-ken time, boys and girls, as well as introducing the big antagonist for the next few chapter. Well, I could call her a villain, but she's not really evil, just annoying. looks around for a second. Anyways, let's get the show started.

First I Giveth

Chapter 9: The Trouble with Kittens

By Marik Kurakashi

Akane and Nabiki had arrived at Ranma's side almost simultaneously. Both eyeballed the other for a long second before checking on the boy who was currently passed out in front of their gate. It seemed odd for him to faint for no reason, as he had plenty of energy in sparring against his father.

They were curious where the kitten came from, and why it seemed so cozy on Ranma's chest. Was it a long lost pet of Ranma's? They both dismissed that thought, as he wouldn't have screamed like that if he was happy to see it.

It simply perched as if it belonged there, even if this was probably the first time this kitten and Ranma had met one another. It was even more peculiar that Ranma had a look of complete terror on his face, his mouth frozen in a scream. Neither Tendo sister knew what to make of it, both silent as they tried to make sense of this whole predicament.

Then Mr. Saotome landed.

"What was that boy of mine wailing about?" he asked, before he spotted the kitten and went silent.

"Saotome-san," Akane queried, "do you know what's wrong?"

"I-uh-me? Why would I know anything about this?" he shot back in defense, old guilt and a sense of dread running through his body.

"Because you've been with him for the past ten years," Nabiki answered, narrowing her eyes at the Saotome patriarch. "Let's hear what you know."

"I don't know anything." he said, looking around for some cold water.

"OUT WITH IT." both sisters demanded, employing a form of their father's old demon head trick, which made it appear as though they were towering over him.

"Urk! Um, it's just that the boy is afraid of cats…. Very of afraid of them. You could say he's almost scared to death of them, that you could." the portly man babbled, sincerely terrified.

"And why is that?" Akane pressed, her anger rising as she had an inclination that Genma was somehow behind this.

"uh hee-hee…" he chuckled, before bolting away in a bid to reach the pond.

"Get back here!" Nabiki yelled as she and her sister took off after the elder Saotome.

'I can't let them catch me,' the portly man thought, 'The pain, oh the pain would be too much for me to stand.'

He had almost reached the koi pond when an image of his old friend raced through his mind. Tendo was out there, rediscovering himself as a martial artist, while he stayed here in the city. He came to a stop, remembering what his old friend had said.

"Saotome-kun, I'm trusting you to take care of my daughters while I'm gone."

'Damn,' he thought, 'I can't escape this, not if I want to keep my word to Tendo.'

He skidded to a stop about 2 meters from the pond, slowing down and breathing to reign in his panic. He would face these problems instead of letting others learn of the terror of this secret second hand. Of course, he couldn't shake the feeling he had made a big mistake in doing this.

Then Akane and Nabiki slammed into him, sending all three tumbling to the ground in a mess of limbs. There were various protests and shifting as they tried in vain to free themselves from the pile. After a while, they finally separate themselves from one another, with the girls smoothing any misplaced clothing.

Akane then slapped Genma hard across the face, causing him to reel back from it.

"What was that for!" he asked, holding his cheek.

"That was for running away and then stopping like you did." she answered, looking disgusted with herself for her outburst of violence.

"Akane," Nabiki said, placing her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up over it, he probably deserved it."

"No," the younger sister said, shaking her head, "there's no excuse for just randomly hitting people. I'm a martial artist, I should have more control than that. Did I really let Kuno and those perverts get to me so much that I forgot how to control myself? Is this all I'm ever going to amount, an emotionally unstable thug that lashes out at everything? It has to stop Nabiki, or what good am I going to be if I can't control myself?"

"A-Akane," Nabiki stuttered, stunned by the profound answer from her sister. "You're right, all we do is make excuses for you to believe what you're doing is acceptable. Me, Kasumi, even Daddy encouraged you when we should have tried to teach you WHEN to hit someone, not tell you it's alright for hitting whoever makes you mad. I'm sorry that we didn't think well enough of you to believe you were mature enough to understand."

"Why?" Akane asked, her tone one of hurt and confusion "Why would you all do something like that?"

"Why?" the older sister echoed, pondering her answer carefully. "Well, it's probably because I thought you were spoiled from how everyone treated you. That, and I had this strange idea that you liked everything that went on, so I didn't think about it. You know how Daddy was, he would say anything to avoid getting one of us mad at him, not now of course, but that was before he started acting his age again. Kasumi… well, oneechan probably wanted to comfort you in the quickest way possible and trying to find the root of your problems would take too much effort for her."

"That is true," Genma interjected, breaking up the sisterly bonding in favor of getting their questions answered before his son woke up. "Sometimes, evading the problem seems to cause it to disappear faster."

"Oh yeah," Nabiki said, "we had a few questions for you."

"Why did you stop?" Akane asked, curious as to why the portly man quit running.

"Because I made a promise to your father to respect you while he was away." the balding man answered, crossing his legs as he continued. "He's out there, rediscovering himself as a martial artist and as a man, and yet I turned down a chance to spend time with my best friend in order to live comfortably at the home he left behind. I probably couldn't face him if you had to beat the answers out of me, so for my own peace of mind and yours, I could run no longer."

"So," Nabiki said, accepting his answer with a nod, "why is Ranma-kun afraid of cats?"

'It's "Ranma-_kun_" now?' he thought to himself before he answered. "It's because of a training mishap when he was a child."

"What kind of mishap?" Akane inquired, shooting her sister a sidelong glance. 'I thought they were mad at each other?'

"A dreadful technique that I discovered." Genma said, shifting uncomfortably as he reached into his gi and pulled out a training manual. "It was a technique that had been forbidden due to the danger posed to the trainee. I had discovered this training manual on our trip, and in my infinite stupidity and the pride I felt at Ranma's progress in the art, I decided to train him in it."

"Let me see that," Nabiki said, taking the book from Genma and looking through it.

"What's in there," Akane asked her sister, deciding not to crowd her sister.

"A bunch of techniques that only an idiot or someone who is too enthusiastic to see their danger would use." Nabiki said, shaking her head in disgust.

"I believe I would fall under both in this instance," Genma replied, hanging his head before he looked up again. "Turn to the page talking about the neko-ken."

"Ok," Nabiki said, roving through the book in search of it. "Ah ha, found it."

"O-oneechan?" Akane nervously asked, seeing Nabiki's expression darken to one of barely restrained anger.

"Just read it." Nabiki answered, handing the manual to her younger sister as she affixed the Saotome patriarch with a withering stare.

"W-what the…?" Akane gasped in horror. "Who could come up with such a horrible thing?"

"Someone very, very sick." Genma replied in barely restrained anger. "He was a sensei who got off on abusing the sacred trust between master and pupil and came up with as many dangerous as he could, just to see who would actually go through."

"If I ever meet him," Akane started, before handing the manual back to Nabiki and breathing deeply to calm herself.

"He won't be teaching anyone anything ever again," the rotund martial artist stated with absolute certainty, causing a silence to pass over the group as they thought about the technique and what he had said.

Ranma sat up from his unexpected nap and looked around to gain his bearings. It had appeared that the c-c-c-cat had gone away, so he didn't need to worry about it at the moment. Who brought that creature here anyways? Did that person truly hate him enough to embarrass him like this?

He shook his head clear of the depressing thoughts, reminding himself that he didn't whine about things like Ryoga did. Standing up, he decided to see if he could find where everyone was, as he was sure that his scream drew their attention. He would assure them that it was nothing, that something else had surprised him. He would simply make sure they understood he wasn't afraid of anything, that the scream was nothing to be concerned about.

He didn't want them to know his shame, not desiring any pity for this great weakness of his.

Ranma leaped up on the roof, using the feel of being airborne to erase the swirling emotions that were plaguing him at the moment. Landing on his feet, Ranma quickly crouched to down to stop his remaining momentum from pitching him over. Silently, he frowned as he had not meant to put THAT much force behind his leap.

With the advantage of height, he knew he could spot them easily if they were outside. He padded across the roof in silence, he didn't want to alert them of his approach if they were outside. He finally spotted them by the koi pond, discussing something that he was sure had to do with why he had fainted.

He had to put a stop to this now!

"If you'll turn the page, you'll have done something that I, in my infinite wisdom, failed to do when I was in my overly excited state." the Saotome patriarch said, breaking the silence.

Nabiki did just that, reading the page in question. Her face ran an interesting gamut of emotions; shifting from anger to incredulity, to disgust to an overwhelming look of intense disbelief. She shook her head and handed the manual to her sister without a word, the page having a similar effect on the younger one.

"Yes, now you know why I wanted to run away from you two." Genma said, sighing as he resigned himself to a beating. "If I had read that the technique was too extreme even for the nut who thought it up, I probably wouldn't have trained Ranma in it."

"I guess-" Nabiki started, only to be interrupted by the subject of this discussion.

"Bullshit!" Ranma hollered from the roof in anger, his rage causing him to forget his manners.

"Now son," Genma started, only to be cut off by his son making a prodigious leap from the roof and coming down with both feet on his head, smooshing the elder Saotome's face into the ground.

"Don't feed me that crap, pop!" the pig-tailed boy yelled, clinching his fist in anger. "As if I'd believe you actually cared about my well being after what you put me through with that farce of a technique."

"Uh Ranma." Nabiki said, trying to get his attention.

"I can't believe you'd sit here and try to fed them your crap about actually caring that you left me terrified of cats for the rest of my life." he ranted on, ignore the girls behind him.

"Ranma…" Akane tried, noting the elder Saotome's lack of movement.

"You worthless liar! It's always about you being innocent of everything and it being the book's fault for it all." he continued with his diatribe, still ignoring them.

"Ranma…." both girls tried this time, with little success.

"As if you actually gave a damn about the consequences of the technique. An invincible berserker, shouldn't THAT have tipped you off about how bad the technique was? Martial arts is about control, how is a technique that makes me lose it supposed to help make me a better martial artist?" he demanded of the man he was perched on, unaware that his rant was falling on deaf ears.

"RANMA!" both girls screamed, causing the ranting boy to tumble backwards and land on his backside.

"Ow!" he yelped, rubbing his bottom from the sudden fall. "What is it?"

"Your father's unconscious," Nabiki stated, pointing at the prone man who appeared to be breathing shallowly.

"Oh." Ranma said, feeling foolish for his ranting.

"Oh, he says," Akane muttered before getting up and going inside. "Since you knocked him out Ranma, you can drag him in for dinner."

"Aw man." Ranma said, not really wanting to heft his father's bulk.

"Should've thought of that before you knocked him loopy." Nabiki chided, getting up herself.

"Nabiki," Ranma said pleadingly.

"Yes, Saotome?" she responded with indifference.

"Maybe we can talk again sometime…. I didn't mean what I said." the pig-tailed youth said nervously, twirling his pig-tail around.

"Maybe, Ranma-kun," she said with a small smile before turning towards the house, "maybe."

"I guess she accepted my apology eh pop?" the younger Saotome asked his father, who responded with only a slight twitch.

- -

It was another morning, another dull, dreary morning that she had endured countless times before. But still, for the Elder Khu Lon, it was nice to see yet another dawn. Such an event, one that she had seen thousands of times, was still an important part of her routine.

She had no pupils to train, so she could relax and enjoy the sunrise without preparing the morning repast for her students. Of course, her pupils were out on important missions, such as her great-granddaughter's quest of vengeance for the outsider girl who defeated. But, as Har Karu reported, something FAR more important had come up.

Her great-granddaughter had been defeated by an outsider male and had given him the kiss of marriage.

At least, that's what Har Karu's body language had told her during the girl's last report. The poor girl had been so intimidated by the Elder's stern questioning that she had almost crumbled under the strain of keeping her composure. The elder chuckled to herself as she thought over how much fun it had been to scare the girl like that.

She sighed as she thought she trained her heir well enough to defeat most outsiders that she would come across. Apparently, she had overestimated the girl's skill, so grossly that she let the girl run off on her own. Now that mistake was rearing its ugly head, as it appeared that Har Karu didn't know WHERE Xian Pu was.

It appeared as though her great-granddaughter was hiding something.

She sighed as she hopped away from the edge of the village where she had watched the sunrise. Why did that child have to be so contrary? She had trained that girl with a much more gentle hand than her mother, and yet she still didn't grasp what exactly it meant to be an Amazon.

Yes, the laws were important, but it was silly to enact them against every little violation. The red-head had been wrong for taking the feast, but rightfully challenged the champion and won, something that should have been treated with respect, not hostility. The red-head had shown her great-granddaughter tremendous courtesy by fighting for the prize instead of handing over the panda or surrendering to be Xian Pu's slave, and her heir had arrogantly given the girl the Kiss of Death!

More over, Xian Pu had failed to actually pry any useful information from the Jusenkyo guide beyond the girl's name, which wasn't the most important thing he could have told them. It was interesting that the guide made mention of the name when she had personally went to interrogate him a few days later, as well as the curious referral to "he" in reference to the girl, rather than the proper feminine pronoun. Though she had come to suspect that the red headed girl wasn't a girl at all, her great-granddaughter sent word that her prey had left the country.

Oh the humiliation that her heir allowed her prey to escape China alive!

Shaking off her remembered humiliation, Khu Lon simply focused on the more important things that were to happen. There would be a meeting, at which she would volunteer for the task of retrieving the village's errant champion. Of course, it would take a lot of maneuvering for her to get the council to allow her to go after Xian Pu, as the members would know the amount of slack that will be cut to the champion.

Ultimately, they would begrudgingly allow her to reign in the foolish girl, not wanting to risk any of the their charges sorting out Khu Lon's mess. They would of course pompously declare their superiority to Khu Lon, then "graciously" give their permission for something that didn't need a meeting to decide in the first place. She shook her head, as she knew the importance of the meetings, which were to prevent anyone from just leaving the tribe without warning.

It was their roundabout way of admitting that the outside world held more for their people, as they were odd like that.

"No use wondering about it now," Khu Lon muttered to herself, "The meeting will be in another couple hours. I must prepare for my imminent departure after it."

With that, she pogoed away to her hut to prepare.

- -

Kuno Tatewaki breathed in the sweet air of the new morning. Today, his vengeance would be complete and his loves would be freed. All he needed was the proper bait to lure the fiend to his doom, one that he was having trouble procuring at the moment.

"Oh Akane…" a voice belonging to a young male sighed from behind the kendoist.

"What in the name of…?" Kuno said, whirling about to lay eyes on what he could honestly say was the most pathetic example of a boy he had ever seen.

His eyes were sunken in, as if the sockets were deeper than the average man's. His spindly arms spoke of a lack of exercise, with his gangly legs barely seemed to support the miniscule weight that was pressed upon them. Overall, he was slender in an underfed kind of way, which gave the insane upperclassmen the impression that the boy would break from just a minor flick of the finger.

"You there!" Kuno bellowed, causing the boy to jump and whirl around, "who are you to speak the name of my love with such reverence, when you would insult her by challenging her on the field of battle?"

"Gosunkugi Hikaru, freshman class E," the boy introduced himself, bowing lightly.

"Very well freshman, I would know what thou were doing uttering the name of my sacred flower, which no weakling could ever hope to grasp?" the arrogant upperclassman queried, drawing a brief look of something on the boy's face.

"Well," Gosunkugi began, "is it wrong for someone to have a dream? Is it wrong for someone to pine after something they can't have?"

"It is good you see this," Kuno said, scowling at the impudence of the boy. "But you, you insult my fierce tigress even uttering her name. I demand you make reparations for this slight."

"What!" came the skinny boy's answer. "You have no right to demand that!"

"As Tendo Akane's future husband, I have every right to demand that for the slight given to the woman who will be my wife." the pompous boy thundered, taking a step forward in a threatening manner.

"If I have offended her, tell her to come here and ask me for reparations." Gosunkugi said, his voice wavering only a bit as he backed away from the deranged kendoist.

"And waste her precious time on a fool like you?" Kuno roared. "It is to laugh that thou wouldst make such a ridiculous request of me!"

"Then why are you wasting your time on me?" the younger boy said, tears of fright pouring down his cheeks. "I-if I cannot ever take Akane from you, why b-bother with m-me?"

"Because," the elder boy stated evenly, hiding his disgust well, "you look to be the perfect person to help me be rid of Saotome."

"S-Saotome!" the freshman wailed, "How can I help you do anything to him?"

"Just a simple decoy, while I send him to Cat Hell." the upperclassmen stated plainly, his hands clenching into fists.

"Uh, 'Cat Hell'?" Gosunkugi queried, not understanding.

"Come with me and I'll explain it to you." Kuno said simply. "And if we are successful… I will reward monetarily you for your help."

'Help him,' Gosunkugi thought, 'For money? Maybe I can buy a real spell book if we succeed.'

"Well?" questioned the elder boy

"Tell me about your plan, Sempai." the younger replied.

Truly, the gods were with Kuno Tatewaki this day.

- -

"ACHOO!" Ranma sneezed, making sure to turn his head from the table.

"Bless you, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said, glad that he didn't sneeze all over the food she prepared.

"Ah, thanks Kasumi-san," Ranma said, taking a spare napkin and wiping his nose.

"You're not coming down with anything, Saotome?" Nabiki asked in disinterested interest.

"Don't think so," he replied, digging back into his food. "It's been a while since I last came down with something."

"Ranma…" Akane started, pensive about bringing the neko-ken up.

"Whuff?" the pig-tailed one asked, his voice muffled by some food.

"About the neko-ken," Akane said, ignoring his lack of manners. "Is it really that bad?"

"That's none of your business," the boy huffed, having swallowed his mouthful after she had finished the question.

"We have a right to know, Ranma." Akane stated evenly, fighting for control with her anger.

"Yeah, right," Ranma muttered, rolling his eyes. "You're just being nosy for the sake of being nosy."

"Well excuse me for caring, you jerk!" she snapped back, clenching her fists. "What if someone decided to use that against you?"

"Like anyone would know about it." he shot back.

"Ranma-kun," Nabiki said, sighing at the boy's immaturity. "You have to be concerned at what problems this may cause you because of a certain curse."

"What does my curse have to do with this?" Ranma asked, thoroughly confused.

"When we found you, you were completely dead to the world in a faint." the middle Tendo said, flinching internally as she could see that this wouldn't go over well. "Well, what happens if you fainted like that as a girl and someone like Kuno showed up and took advantage of you in your frightened state?"

"W-w-what?" he stammered out, an image of Kuno doing very BAD things to his girl half, causing him to shudder in revulsion.

"That's why we have to know Ranma," Akane said quietly, her anger having guttered from Nabiki's statement.

"No…" he whispered.

"What was that Ranma? We can't hear you," Akane said, leaning closer to hear what he said.

"NO!" he bellowed, causing Akane and everyone else to fall back from the force of the shout. "I ain't telling you nothing, and that's that!"

"Gah!" Akane said, rubbing her ears as she had been the closest to his shout.

"I'm going to school now," he grumbled as he got up, "I'm not that hungry anymore."

"Jerk," Akane muttered, the ringing in her ears subsiding as everyone recovered from Ranma's outburst.

"I doubt it's that Akane," Nabiki said drolly, rolling her eyes at her sister's sudden bout.

"I was only trying to help! If we could gauge how bad it was, who would no longer look after the neighbor's cat and keep strays away." Akane retorted, her tone holding little to no anger.

"You have a point, imouto-chan," Kasumi said, gently to smooth over her sister's hurt feelings. "But don't you think that this is a little personal?"

"Yeah, I know," Akane said, "but still.. I can't help being concerned about this."

"Hey," Nabiki said, drawing her sisters' attention, "I thought you promised daddy not to steal food from Ranma anymore."

"The boy left it," Genma said in an even tone while he finished depositing the contents of Ranma's plate onto his own., "so why should it go to waste? Besides, it isn't all that healthy to freeze and reheat this stuff anyhow."

"I was going to ask Saotome-san if he wanted them anyways." Kasumi added, glad that her sisters had remembered Genma's promise as well.

"Well, let's hurry up Akane." Nabiki said, sitting back at the table as she prepared to finish off her food. "We don't want to be late, and you can't blame Ranma this time."

"Yeah, like I do that every time I'm late." Akane bristled, but mimicked her sister's posture to eat as fast as she politely could.

With that, the Tendo sisters finished their meal and left for school with thoughts of the neko-ken plaguing their steps. They were both interested in the boy for varying reasons, but this new phobia put a new spin on things. The once fearless and immortal Saotome Ranma actually wasn't all that immortal or fearless, he was just as normal as they were.

And somehow, this new fear made him slightly more appealing in a strange way. It had a lot to do with the fact that neither girl didn't felt like they had to climb Mount Fuji for the sake of his favor. But their was something more… maternal about it, something that was instinctively hardwired into them, a desire to protect and nurture, one neither would have associated with the pig-tailed youth.

It left the both of them all the more confused.

For Akane, it was a conformation of something she had privately dreaded. It was a conformation that she did indeed have more than friendly aspirations towards the Saotome heir, and it shook her to the core. She had seen how gaga Kodachi and Shampoo had went over him, causing her to bridle in disgust over their open lusting for the pig-tailed boy.

Which is why she dreaded falling for him in the first place. Would she lose all her self-respect as a woman and prostrate herself before him for his every perverted desire? But more importantly than that, could she honestly love a boy who lived everyday as though it were his last?

She told herself she couldn't, but it still rang hollow in the void of fear that occupied her stomach.

In contrast, Nabiki was elated to find that her budding feelings were proven to be true. She had held a private fear that she was only after him out of loneliness and the need to have someone care about her in more than a family way. It filled her with a giddy warmth, one that both excited her while making her feel nervous.

Doubts began to creep in, but she managed to ignore them for the time being. She knew that she didn't need to worry herself about what was to come, she just had to focus on the here and now. Her only worry was being able to get the fool to actually reciprocate her feelings, which made all others seem immaterial.

She would just have to keep trying, and eventually, those worries would go away.

In that moment, both sisters shared a look of mutual understanding. They acknowledged each other's very personal desire to protect the wild Ranma from harm, well, the harm he had no way of protecting himself from. But in that moment, a spark of a rivalry flickered between them, then just as quickly died.

Both saw no point in a silly rivalry over a boy who wasn't worth splitting their family over. The look passed along their knowledge that neither would ever allow it to get to a point where it would endanger the family. For an eternity, they seemed have been locked into a staring contest, each offering up something that was accepted by the other.

And then the moment was over and the walk to school resumed in earnest.

- -

School progressed as normal, with the exception of Kuno's usual challenge to Ranma. The raving kendoist was nowhere to be seen, which caused a bit of stir, but that quickly guttered out at the thought of looking for the arrogant upperclassman. No one really wanted him to get the idea that they missed or his poetry and penchant for shouting at odd moments.

After a short celebration and a small prayer that he stay wherever he was at the moment, school proceeded in an absurdly normal fashion. Several students had to be sent home after gibbering in terror about some big cataclysm that was sure to befall them all, as Furinkan never had a day go by without some kind of incident happening. Lunch passed quietly, with only peaceful chatter amongst the students, as any normal high school student would expect.

But it was positively unnerving to those who had become so used to the chaos, that they sat around waiting for something crazy to happen. The skittish behavior was slowly spreading, that when lunch ended without incident, mental alarms began to blare for most of the students. It was getting so bad, several of the teachers began discussing plans to cause something to happen in order to calm the students down.

Luckily for them, all that was about to be relieved.

"You want me to what!" Gos said archly, not daring to shout at the lunatic samurai-wannabe.

"I need you to acquire a girl's school uniform. The fiend is stupid beyond all measurements, so he shan't know the difference between you and my fierce tigress."

'Yeah, right!' Gos thought to himself, 'no one is that stupid.'

"It is integral to the plan that you have that dress," Kuno said, "or else my plan fails, and you will not be rewarded."

"Oh, alright," Gos sighed, rubbing his forehead while questioning why he was doing this, "I'll get it."

"I can acquire-" Kuno started, only to be shocked into silence as the younger boy boldly interrupted him.

"Don't worry yourself sempai," the skinny freshman said, fluffy Kuno's ego as best he could. "You really shouldn't lower yourself to this level, I can get them easily."

"But-"

"No one will even notice I'm there. I easily blend in," Gos said, cutting Kuno off and getting up.

"Just wait a sec-"

"I'll be back before you know it." Gos said as he turned around and dashed off down the hall.

"But I already have a plan," the kendoist said to the empty hall.

- -

Gosunkugi Hikaru was currently questioning his sanity as he hid outside the girls' locker room. The girls of Furinkan were notorious in their pervert bashing, having hospitalized several students for even the slightest offense. To the shy, nerdy boy, it was akin to diving into a lion's den and attempting to steal the lion's mane.

He swallowed again, his great idea not seeming so great. A vision of a circle of girls trampling him into the floor came vividly to his mind, causing him to shake in fear. He knew that Kuno was pissed at him for bailing out before he could unveil his plan, so retreat was not an option.

He waited until the sounds inside died down and snuck in.

Breathing, yes that was the key. Short, small, and quiet breaths were needed, lest he pass out from holding his breath too long. He continued on into the most dangerous part of the school, looking for a locker with an easy lock to pick.

Arriving at a locker that looked easy enough to open, he did a quick check and began to pick the lock. He cursed as he fumbled with it, as he had underestimated the difficulty involved. So intent on his task of getting the lock off, he didn't notice the sense of foreboding that he was in deep trouble.

That was until the female behind him cleared her throat, causing him to jump in surprise.

He didn't turn around, just closed his eyes and hoped she would go away. The sound of a foot tapping on the floor told him that she was still there and getting more ticked by the minute. Quickly, he opened his eyes and inspected the lock for a name.

The skinny boy did well not scream, knowing it would do him no good. Of all the lockers he had to choose, why did it have to be hers? He looked towards the ceiling as if to ask if this was punishment for giving into his greedy impulses.

The lock read Tendo Nabiki… he was SO dead.

"Mind if you tell me what you want with my locker?" Nabiki asked in a flat tone. Just her luck to have a pervert pop up and try to steal her clothes, her gym clothes not giving her a much of an intimidating look.

"T-T-Tendo-s-san." the pervert in question stammered, completely terrified.

"Well?" she asked, her patience running thin. She didn't have time to deal with this, as she was being called to meet with several teachers. "Do I have to call the rest of the girls in here about you, or are you gonna talk?"

"NO! NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!" the boy wailed in terror before breaking down into sobs.

"Well? Talk, or they're gonna be coming in soon."

And with that, the boy began to tell her everything… at once. Most of what he said was gibberish, as he was too scared to talk straight. After five minutes of gibbering, Nabiki figured she had a good grasp of what he was saying.

It appeared that Kuno Tatewaki was planning something. She was sure it involved Ranma in some fashion, but just what was the mystery. She also knew that Kuno needed this boy to get a girl's uniform, so she could believe that the idea to sneak into the girls' locker room came from her classmate.

But what was she to do about it?

She put it from her mind for now, deciding that she couldn't concern herself with it. Quickly, she ushered the boy from the room and went back to her locker in order get her school uniform on again. Idly, she wondered why she was being taken out of gym class by the faculty, but decided not to worry about.

Habitually, she smoothed the skirt out to make sure it didn't ride up in anyway. Once she was sure she was presentable, she left the girl's locker room and headed for the cafeteria, which is where they said for her to go. Her mind idly wandered back to Kuno's mad scheme, and just what he was trying to accomplish.

And how bad it would be for Ranma and everyone else.

She arrived the cafeteria, and was greeted by the vice principal and a few of the teachers upon entering. They all appeared nervous, glancing about as if the world was going to end shortly. She pulled up a chair, and blinked when she found Ranma occupying the seat next to her.

"Ok," Nabiki said, arching an eyebrow as she looked at Ranma, "what the hell is going on Saotome?"

"I don't know," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "these guys wouldn't tell me what was going on."

"We called you here," the Vice Principal said, clearing his throat, "because we're concerned with how quiet the day has been going."

"I thought you'd be relieved by that," Nabiki said, taken aback by the teachers' nervous twitching.

"We thought so too," said one of the teachers, glancing about. "but the students are nervous and some are beginning to panic about being kidnapped by aliens. To that end, we have contacted the two of you."

"Us?" Ranma asked, cutting in before Nabiki could reply. "What could we do?"

"We know that you, Saotome-san, happen to be the center of the disturbance more often than not," the vice principal answered, sighing. "We are also aware that Tendo-san here is in the higher percentages of both IQ and test scores at this school."

"So what does all that mean?" Ranma queried, eyes narrowing at the implied accusation.

"Well," said another of the teachers, "we figured that since you and Tendo-san live together, we could ask the two of you to plan some wacky event to assure the students that they're not going insane."

"Short walk," Ranma muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Anyways," Nabiki said, clearing her throat to get in a word. "Your fears seem to have already been alleviated."

"Really?" the vice principal asked, a look of hope dancing in his eyes.

"Yes," Nabiki said, "I was late for this impromptu meeting because I discovered a boy had snuck into the girl's locker room and was attempting to take my clothes."

"A pervert?" said the lone female teacher present, "At our fine school?"

A collective cough from the rest of the gathering alerted her to her oversight, to which she promptly blushed and hid her face in her hands.

"Moving on," Nabiki said, "I interrogated this boy and found that he had been asked to steal just a girl's uniform for some plan Kuno-chan has."

"Did he say what it was?" the vice principal pressed.

"I had to threaten him with getting the other girls in order to get him to talk," Nabiki said, an apologetic look on her face. "He was too frightened to make too much sense."

"So," a teacher said, "Kuno-san is apparently planning something, and it involves a girl's uniform."

"And me too." Ranma said, "I bet it's another lame attempt to defeat me."

"It makes sense." Nabiki said, noting the frowns of doubt sprawling across the teachers' faces. "Kuno-chan has devoted a large amount of effort in defeating Ranma, so to say that this may have something to do with that is more than we have now."

"Ok," the vice principal said, agreeing with logic put forth. "It would appear we have no need to actually have you two plan anything."

"Yeah," Ranma said, "I guess it does. I'll be on the look out for whatever Kuno's gonna try."

"Hopefully it will assuage their fears…" concluded the vice principal, writing the two passes back to their classes.

- -

Kuno Tatewaki was caught in another quandary. His first helper had scrambled off and was surely never to return after foolishly daring to trifle with the women of Furinkan High. Now he would have to find another helper, one who could be swayed by his unparalleled charisma.

But where to find one such as Gosunkugi Hikaru? Where was he to find one as noble and foolish as him? Aye there was the rub, a school filled with fools and not a noble one among them. They were all cowards who would tremble before him, but would be worthless once the plan was enacted.

It seemed the foul dog would escape his fate once more.

"I dunno Dai," said a blond haired boy to a black haired boy as they passed by Kuno's hiding spot.

"Yeah, I doubt anything weird happened to cause it to be normal, Hiro," Dai replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm just surprised Saotome hasn't exploded by now." Hiro added, looking sidelong at his friend.

"You and me both. I would have expected him to find and challenge Kuno, just to get things back to how they were." Dai said, snorting to himself.

'So these two know Saotome eh?' Kuno thought to himself, a small grin appearing on his face.

"I wonder what happened to him anyways?" Hiro asked, looking up at the ceiling.

"Who know-" Dai started, only to be interrupted by a familiar voice.

"If this he you speak of is I, then I am simply behind you." Kuno proclaimed, standing with his arms crossed.

"Gah!" both boys yelped and spun about to stare at the insane kendoist.

"I would ask how you two know of Saotome," Kuno said, before waving his hand to cut off their replies. "But I have little time and am in urgent need of help."

"What could YOU need help with?" Hiro asked, eyeballing the wannabe samurai like he had two heads.

"I need bait for my trap for Saotome," Kuno said, "and should you choose to help me, I will reward you for your help."

"We're talking money right?" Dai asked, before being elbowed in the side by Hiro.

"Are you trying to sell Ranma out?" Hiro whispered harshly.

"If I can afford to ask a girl out without having to ask Nabiki for a loan, then Ranma will understand." Dai whispered back.

"No asking for a loan?" Hiro whispered in awe, as though the concept was foreign to him.

"We'll do it." Dai said, turning around to face Kuno.

"Excellent," Kuno said, smiling broadly. "Now if you two will walk with me, I'll fill you in on the plan."

- -

"Man, why do **I** have to dress up as a girl?" Dai groused as Hiro tied him up.

"Because your hair color is closer to Akane's than mine." Hiro answered, finishing the knot.

"Where did he come up with that story?" Dai said, hoping no one would see him dressed like this.

"Oh, the one about him having a cousin?" Hiro asked, pausing for Dai to nod before continuing. "He's probably been putting a lot of thought into it. Even the most neglected brain works I guess."

"I guess so." Dai said, sighing to himself before giving Kuno the signal.

Kuno smirked to himself and waited for the sports teams to file in. School had passed and after school activities were beginning. He didn't enjoy playing the decoy, but he couldn't allow anyone to see his bait before Ranma arrived.

"Soon," he said, smiling maniacally as the teams finished arriving. "Soon those pigtails will be mine! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Needless to say, the sight of the half-crazed kendoist unnerved the other occupants of the gym. That he was hugging himself and drooling caused many to turn green in revulsion. All in all, the distraction was effective, as no one had even looked at the stage.

'Soon, Saotome…' Kuno thought, 'you will be in cat hell.'

- -

"I guess Kuno's not going to do anything," Ranma muttered to himself, before he shuddered with a sudden spasm of revulsion.

"Saotome?" Nabiki asked, who had been talking at length with Ranma about when Kuno's great plan was going to jump in effect.

"It's probably nothing…" Ranma said, before trailing off. "Say, isn't that Akane?"

"Yeah, so?" she asked, curious about the question.

"It's just this note I got." he said, holding up a piece of paper.

"Let me see that," she said, snatching the note away. "Let's see… 'Help, I've been kidnapped ! Save me please, Ranma! I'm being held in the gym, please hurry!' Well, she certainly doesn't look kidnapped to me…"

"Unless the sender already fumbled the kidnapping, I'd say this is trap." he replied, eyeing the younger Tendo girl before checking to make sure there was no one else around to kidnap her.

"It looks like it." she agreed, folding up the note and sticking it in the front of her dress. "Think it's Kuno?"

"I'd bet good money on it." he quipped, turning his head before his eyes could follow her actions.

"Hey sis," Nabiki called, gaining her sister's attention.

"Hey sis, Ranma," Akane said in lieu of a greeting. "What's up?"

"Well…" Nabiki began, looking at Ranma.

"We think Kuno is trying to spring a trap for me using you for bait…" Ranma continued.

"…Without using you as bait," Nabiki finished.

Akane blinked and looked at the pair. They themselves blinked as well and looked at each other in shock. An odd moment passed between them, before Akane cleared her throat.

"Never do that again." she said, shaking her head.

"Uh, yeah…" Ranma said intelligently.

"Anyways, we should head to the gym and see what that idiot has planned." Nabiki said, changing the subject back to the important thing at hand.

"Yeah," Akane said, "let's go see what he's up to."

- -

The trio busted their way into the gym, ignoring the stares of the various clubs practicing there. They quickly spotted Kuno off in his own little world, which caused all three to shake their heads in disgust. Ignoring him, they pressed onto the peculiar sight of…

"Ranma, save me!" Dai squealed, failing miserably to even come close to sounding like a girl.

"Dai?" Ranma asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Is he wearing a girl's uniform?" Akane asked, causing the boy to squawk in terror.

"You have weird friends, Saotome," Nabiki commented, glaring at the boy.

"I-I-I Kuno made me do this!" Dai wailed, struggling against the ropes.

"Don't worry about it Dai," Ranma said, an assuring smile on his face as he walked over to untie his friend. "It's not like too many people will know."

"Thanks, Ranma," Dai said, his voice lowering until only Ranma could hear him. "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Ranma said, before jumping back as a trap door opened and dumped Dai on his head at the bottom of it.

"Who did that?" Akane demanded, which lead to Hiro sheepishly coming out from his hiding spot.

"I, uh, did." Hiro admitted. "I was forced to do that by Kuno as well."

"Kuno wanted you to dump Dai down a trap door?" Ranma asked, eyeing his supposed friend with caution.

"No!" Hiro said, "you."

"What?" Ranma asked, as Nabiki and Akane came up next to him.

"Well…" Hiro replied, "you'll see." With that, he pulled another rope.

WHAM! CRASH!

"Ow," Hiro groaned, his attempt to drop the statue on Ranma's head was foiled by Akane snatching him up by the shirt, inadvertently pulling his head into the path of said object.

"Well that worked out well, didn't it?" Nabiki asked, peering into the hole.

"Get this offa me, Dai." Hiro whined, the statue balanced perfectly on his head.

"But I don't want sweet peas Mommy." Dai said, rolling onto his back, head bobbing strangely.

"I guess I better save those two," Ranma said, jumping down the trap door.

"Come on sis," Akane said, snagging her sister by the hand. "I'm sure you want to question them just as bad as I do."

"Hey wait a second," Nabiki protested before being drug down the trap door by her sister.

"There you go sis," Akane said, letting go of her sister.

"Geez, Akane," Nabiki grumbled, shaking her arm to return feeling to it. "You could have asked first."

"Yeah, well." Akane said, before turning away with nothing to counter that.

"So," Ranma said, pushing the statue off Hiro. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Just… think well of me Ranma." Hiro said, whipping out some fish sausage and handing it to Ranma.

"What!" Ranma said, before freezing as he heard the sound that always made his blood run cold.

"Oh no!" Akane said in alarm as cats began to slink in from the surrounding darkness.

"That's what Kuno had up sleeve!" Nabiki exclaimed as she started towards Ranma.

- -

"Oh, Mr. Saotome," Kasumi said as she happened upon him in unexpected reflection.

"Yes, Kasumi?" Genma asked offhandedly, not even turning around.

"I was just wondering if you'd like some tea." she answered, shuffling the tray in nervous unease.

"Some tea would do me some good right now." he said, turning around and coming back in off the porch.

"Here you go," she said, having set the tray down and poured him a glass. "Yen for your thoughts?"

"Just reflecting on my mistakes as an overzealous parent," the older man said, a hint of sadness in his voice as he sipped his tea.

"Just… what mistakes are you talking about?" the girl asked, a look of worry on her face.

"Simply the mistakes one makes when they become overconfident about something." he replied, looking to the ceiling.

"I… see?" she said uncertainly. Her brow furrowed in worry as she thought about the implications that might have.

"It's just," he said, searching for the right words, "The boy was showing such an amazing learning curve that I was searching for that would challenge him."

"Nothing wrong with that," she said, trying to ease the man's grief.

"If only I had read far enough, I would have never trained him in the neko-ken!" he proclaimed, appearing on the verge of a breakdown.

"Ah…" she said, surprised by his outburst. Her sisters had informed her of the neko-ken, and besides the fear of cats, she didn't see the problem. "It can't be all that bad."

"Beyond the fear of cats," he said, "lies the beast that the fear brings out. As a coping mechanism, Ranma slowly began acting like the thing he fears most."

"You mean…!" she said, a sense of dread filling her.

"Yes," he said, nodding his head. "When his fear becomes to overwhelming, he yowls."

"Yowls?" she asked faintly.

"Like a cat that's been cornered." he answered, gesturing wildly. "At that point, he's uncontrollable."

"Oh dear," she said, a sense of foreboding settling in.

End Chapter 9.

Teaser for chapter 10:

"Saotome!" Nabiki yelled from behind Ranma. "Don't be afraid!"

"Buwahahahahaha!" Ranma laughed, his eyes crossed in concentration. "You think something like THIS will frighten me!"

"Then why are you shaking!" Akane snapped, her concern for the pig-tailed boy overriding her anger at his bravado.

"N-no reason." Ranma answered, trotting away from the Tendo sisters/ "It seemed like a fun idea." He paused to scoop up the unconscious Dai. "Let's go Akane."

"Ngh," Dai answered, still unconscious from landing on his head.

"Wait, don't go that way!" Hiro shouted as Akane silently fumed.

"Huh?" Ranma said, dropping Dai rudely to the ground.

"Too late…" Hiro moaned as a loud growl emanated from the darkness.

"N-nice k-kitty!" Ranma said as he suddenly was face to face with a tiger. "Y-you d-don't w-want to eat scrawny old me, do you?"

"Ranma!" both sisters screamed with concern as he staggered back.

Then something peculiar happened. If the explosion of chaos and weirdness was peculiar enough, what happened next blew both of them out of the water. One moment Ranma stood there shaking like a leave in a windstorm, the next he had stopped and hunched over.

And this was followed by an inhuman yowl, the kind a human being should never be able to reproduce.

Author notes: Well, another chapter down. Neko-ken, Cologne, plus Soun and Shampoo and Ryoga will allegedly return… maybe even a cameo from Har Karu and Ukyo. Be there.


	10. Nekoken Unleashed

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ isn't mine, don't sue please.

Author Notes: It's chapter 10 folks… and it's only taken me a little over a year to get here…. Man I'm lazy. But enough about that, on with the show! presses the projector button, bringing up the title screen.

First I Giveth

Chapter 10: Neko-ken Unleashed

By Marik Kurakashi

"Saotome!" Nabiki yelled from behind Ranma. "Don't be afraid!"

"Buwahahahahaha!" Ranma laughed, his eyes crossed in concentration. "You think something like THIS will frighten me!"

"Then why are you shaking!" Akane snapped, her concern for the pig-tailed boy overriding her anger at his bravado.

"N-no reason." Ranma answered, trotting away from the Tendo sisters. "It seemed like a fun idea." He paused to scoop up the unconscious Dai. "Let's go Akane."

"Ngh," Dai answered, still unconscious from landing on his head.

"Wait, don't go that way!" Hiro shouted as Akane silently fumed.

"Huh?" Ranma said, dropping Dai rudely to the ground.

"Too late…" Hiro moaned as a loud growl emanated from the darkness.

"N-nice k-kitty!" Ranma said as he suddenly was face to face with a tiger. "Y-you d-don't w-want to eat scrawny old me, do you?"

"Ranma!" both sisters screamed with concern as he staggered back.

Then something peculiar happened. If the explosion of chaos and weirdness wasn't peculiar enough, what happened next blew both of them out of the water. One moment Ranma stood there shaking like a leaf in a windstorm, the next he had stopped and hunched over.

And this was followed by an inhuman yowl, the kind a human being should never be able to produce. The tiger shared the same look adorning the room's other occupants, sans the unconscious Dai, which was one of total disbelief. It backed away slowly as Ranma started to advance on it.

With another yowl, Ranma burst into action.

The various clubs had stopped their activities and looked at the stage. Weird sounds were emanating from it, but no one wanted to find out the cause. They all looked at each other, and shrugged their shoulders and went back to practicing.

Kuno, meanwhile, was waiting in eager anticipation that Ranma would come fleeing from the stage at any moment. His victory was nigh, he could almost grasp it. His loves would be finally free to shower him with the affection that they truly held for him.

Lost in his fantasy, he wound up affectionately hugging a very scared tiger.

"Mew?" it whimpered, still in wonder of the creature that had sent it flying.

"I'm sorry," Kuno said simply as cats began to rain down. "My heart belongs to another."

"It's not asking for a date you imbecile!" one of the club members yelled, while shielding himself from the feline shower.

Kuno simply placed the animal aside and took up his bokken. Surely, the fiend had unleashed a spell of staggering magnitude to frighten such a beast. If he had, then his magic would surely be low, and how the noble Blue Thunder would smite him!

Even one as delusional as Kuno had to blink at the surreal sight that imposed himself in front of him. There was Ranma, hunched over with Akane, Hiro, whom was also keeping a good grip on Dai, on his back, with Nabiki dangling from his mouth as though she were a kitten in her mother's mouth. Unable to cope, Kuno simply stared as Ranma unloaded his passengers and glowered at the insane kendoist.

The pig-tailed youth, whom was doing a credible imitation of a cat, snarled at Kuno and promptly attacked him.

It was with curious eyes everyone took in the site of Ranma appearing to hover in the air while 'clawing' at Kuno. To everyone's shock, Kuno's bokken was shredded, as was the floor. Tears in his kendo outfit even began to appear as he staggered from under the flurry of furious swipes .

"Excelsior paper?" Hiro said, grabbing a piece of the shredded floor.

"He didn't even touch it!" Akane exclaimed, look over at Ranma as he landed from his prodigious leap.

"What manner of magic is this!" Kuno exclaimed, looking at his shredded bokken. "That fiend has ruined my sacred blade!"

"Mreow," Ranma mewed, his eyes following the movement of the bokken.

Kuno narrowed his eyes as he eyed the cat-acting boy. He quickly moved it again, noticing the boy's eyes follow it even though he didn't outwardly seem to follow it. Kuno smiled as he managed to make the correct realization as a plan formed in his head.

"Fetch," he said simply as he tossed the ruined stick out an open window.

"Mrrow!" Ranma roared and leaped after it, going after it out the window.

"Some invincible technique…" Nabiki observed dryly.

"It seems easy to distract it, even though it was supposed to make a berserker." Akane said, agreeing with her sister's assessment.

"I'll go call Uncle Saotome, you go make sure he doesn't hurt anyone besides Kuno." Nabiki said, starting away.

"Just hurry okay?" Akane called after her sister as she ran out towards the field where Ranma went.

- - -

Pain was an old friend of Hibiki Ryoga's. It always kept him company, whether he asked for it or not. To be fair to Ryoga though, it was impressive for someone to be traversing the wilderness after being blown up like he had been.

He cursed under his breath, another sore banging off a small branch. It had slipped his mind during his panic over Akane's potential plight that he would be a little too sore to travel back the city. He couldn't turn back, as he had forgotten what direction he had come from, added to the fact that he was exhausted from his injuries.

There was no way he'd let Akane down at this crucial junction.

Onward he plugged, doing his best to ignore the pain as he thought about his goal. Akane was the only girl for him, of this he was certain. Most girls were put off by his rugged look but she treated him like he was special. Sure, that was his cursed form, but he'd take what he could get.

It wasn't long before he found himself clear of the trees and on the outskirts of Tokyo. He wasn't sure how far from Nerima he was, but he knew he couldn't stop now that he was back where he wanted to be. The fires of Hell itself wouldn't stay him from this mission, he would save Akane if it was the last thing he did.

Unfortunately for Ryoga, he was far too exhausted to continue on.

"Akane-san," the lost boy moaned as he collapsed to his knees. "I can't stop… have to warn her and Ranma."

"Huh?" An older male voice was heard as Ryoga's face met the ground. "Oh kami, this boy has been severely injured. I better get him inside."

Ryoga felt himself be lifted up by surprisingly strong arms, a sensation that was very foreign to him. Managing to look up, he saw the face of his rescuer, a man with brown hair and glasses as the man turned about and went into the clinic. Ryoga thought he had seen this man before, but couldn't remember where it had been.

His contemplations were cut short by him finally succumbing to his exhaustion and blacking out.

"Hang on Ryoga," Dr. Tofu muttered to the unconscious boy, hoping that he could help the boy in some fashion as he set him down on an examination table.

- - -

Akane had finally managed to track Ranma down, which had taken her all of five minutes to do. She had approached the gathering of students and quickly shoved her way to the front to feast her eyes on the bizarre sight up close. There was Ranma, up in the tree scratching behind his ear with his leg like a cat.

The neko-ken was cause of this, turning Ranma into some giant cat in human form. It was apparent that the change wasn't solely mental, as he appeared twice as limber as he usually was. He sounded like he was even purring a bit, but the reason for that escaped her at the moment.

Genma's sudden appearance nearly knocked her over. The portly man had managed to make it to Furinkan in what appeared to be record time, with a giant white bag of some kind to boot. Solemnly, and dare she think it, sorrowfully the elder Saotome looked up at his son as the boy continued to preen himself.

"I'm such a fool." he muttered quietly to himself.

"What was that?" Akane asked, not sure she heard him.

"Nothing." Genma grunted, looking at her. "I got here as fast as I could, I hope Nabiki isn't offended by me dropping the phone like that."

"Oh, I'm sure she doesn't mind." Akane said, while a small bout of worry wracked her. 'Why is Nabiki acting so concerned for Ranma lately? I just don't get it.'

"When Ranma went into this as a child," Genma's voice sliced her thoughts, brining her back to reality as she listened to the elder Saotome. "He only came out of it when he was petted by a kindly old lady."

"So the fiend even accosted the elderly in his youth?" queried Kuno, whom had just shown up in the middle of Genma's explanation.

The portly martial artist frowned at the insult directed at his son. He looked up at Ranma, whom hissed down at his father upon the sight of the man. Quickly, Genma's gaze snapped back to the kendoist and an idea popped into his head.

"Hey!" Kuno shouted as Genma roughly seized him and reached into the bag, pulling out some clothes. "What dost thou think thy art doing knave? Take thy hands from my person at once!"

"Finished!" Genma proclaimed, stepping back and revealing the Blue Granny of Furinkan High.

"Oh my…" was all Akane could manage before dissolving into giggles.

"W-what?" Kuno managed to get out, as the laughter from everyone else began in earnest.

"Up you go!" Genma said, tossing the boy up into the tree. "Try to calm Ranma down."

"Come here, foul one." Kuno said, trying to imitate a sweet old lady and failing miserably.

Ranma hissed loudly, which was the only warning the pompous temporary cross dresser received before he was attacked. The tree top exploded into a cloud of dust as Kuno's shrieks mingled with Ranma's growls in a chaotic symphony. As everyone gawked at the sight, more and more of the tree disappeared.

"I guess… this would be like tossing napalm on a wildfire." one of the students observed as Kuno landed on the ground, the granny clothes, along with his regular ones, were completely shredded.

"MROW!" roared Ranma as he sprang away.

"Ah.. Ranma!" Akane shouted as the boy seemed to be leaving the immediate area.

"Akane! We have to stop him!" Nabiki yelled as she finally made her way through the crowd.

"I brought something in case the old lady get-up failed to quell him." Genma said, opening the bag for the Tendo sisters to peer into.

"Catnip?" Nabiki asked, looking up at Ranma. "How're we supposed to get it up to him?"

"Maybe we can toss it?" Akane suggested, looking at Ranma as well.

"Too inaccurate," Nabiki said, dismissing the notion. "We need something that will get it to him on a sure thing, not pure luck."

"Like…" Akane started, not too sure of what it could be.

"…A bow and arrow?" Genma finished, tying the sack back up.

"That would work," Nabiki said, "but where do we get one."

"Maybe we can borrow his?" Genma said, pointing at a student holding a bow, the quiver slung over his shoulder.

"Hey," Akane called, making her way towards the student. "Can I borrow this?"

"H-huh?" the boy replied, before noticing she was pointing at his bow. "S-sure, Tendo-san."

"Thank you." Akane said, taking the bow and quiver before heading back over to Nabiki and Genma.

"It's up to you Akane," Nabiki said, watching her sister load the bag of catnip on the arrow before nocking it. "If you miss, we won't get a second chance."

"I know, now be quiet." Akane said, her gruff tone showing annoyance as she took aim at the pig-tailed youth whom was sailing through the air like a bird, even if he thought he was a cat at the moment.

TWANG!

The bow sang as Akane unleashed her shot, the arrow zooming towards Ranma. It was a beautiful and very accurate shot, which came to the shock of the youngest Tendo, as she never did that good in archery. Both sisters waited with baited breath as the arrow came closer to Ranma, appearing as though it would knock him from the sky.

To the shock of those who were just arriving on the scene, Ranma suddenly twisted in mid-air and "pawed" the bundle with his right hand. The effect of this caused the bag to explode, releasing the catnip directly into Ranma's face. The surprised boy, who thought he was a cat, promptly dropped from the sky, landing nimbly on the ground as the catnip showered down from above.

A mind-boggling long silence followed this, as everyone watched to see what Ranma's reaction to the catnip would be. As the quiet hung thick in the air, many spectators' brains began to actually try and gauge just how reaching the silence was. Now this, their brains concluded, was a bad idea, and several of them collapsed in agony at the sheer magnitude of the silence.

Fortunately for those who did not collapse, their brains were spared the agony by Ranma suddenly exploding into motion.

He sprang into the air with a thunderous whoop of delight that cause several people closest to him to back away in terror. Those people then had to flee in terror as Ranma started bouncing about like a super ball. Slowly, he stopped bouncing around and suddenly made his way towards the Tendo sisters.

"Uh-oh," Akane said, as she stepped in front of Nabiki in order to shield her from Ranma.

"Why is he coming at us like that?" Nabiki asked, looking at the bouncing boy who erroneously believed he was a cat.

"I don't know, either he's ticked off or he's really happy about something." Akane answered, looking worriedly at the approaching pig-tailed youth.

Ranma meowed loudly and zoomed down from the apex of his latest leap. Akane reflexively brought her hands up to block him, but it did her no good. The boy, still misguidedly thinking himself a feline, daintily bounced of her outstretched hands, which cause her to fall forward onto her face.

Nabiki gasped in surprise as Ranma practically pounced on her. The cat acting boy gently tripped her down into a seated position and made himself comfortable. Confused at first, she caution reached out and petted Ranma, which in turn made him purr.

"What in the…" Nabiki said, still unsure of what happened.

"R-Ranma?" Akane questioned, having finished rubbing her face after being rudely dropped on it.

To both sisters shock, Ranma suddenly leapt from Nabiki's lap and toppled Akane over before making himself comfortable in her lap. Akane, like Nabiki before her, hesitated before she petted him gently. He again started to purr, as though the change didn't really matter to him.

"I don't believe this…" Akane said as she tried to make sense of this.

"I don't either," Nabiki agreed, shaking her head.

Ranma's head jerked up at the sound of Nabiki's voice and suddenly vacated Akane's lap for Nabiki's, curling up as though he hadn't left it so suddenly. Both girls looked at each other than back at the comfortable Ranma, before Nabiki cautiously resumed petting him. A small smile curled the edges of her lips, which caused Akane's left eye to twitch in annoyed fashion.

"Oh Ranma…" Akane said, her voice dripping with enough honey to attract a bear. It did, however, attract Ranma like she had intended. She sat there, petting Ranma while she stuck her tongue out at her sister.

Nabiki frowned at her sister, with her teeth grinding slightly at her sister's behavior. Here she was, trying to calm him down and Akane had to rile him up again! She wasn't upset because she had lost her lap warmer, oh no, that was the farthest thing from her mind. Even if a small part of her was analyzing everything and doing the math on all things that could be considered by this latest wrinkle in her potential fiancé, including that which would make even the most brazen of girl blush.

"Hey, Ranma-kun!" Nabiki called in a sing-song voice, which had the desired effect of summoning the cat behaving boy to her lap. She stuck her tongue out at her sister as she resumed petting him, a small part of her relishing the chance to play with Akane like this again.

Akane's face screwed up in anger, as Nabiki taunted her about getting Ranma to abandon Akane. Her brain froze up at that thought, as there was something not quite right about that thought. Ranma abandon her for Nabiki? That was the very definition of absurd wasn't it?

…Wasn't it?

Before Akane could dwell on that, or think of reclaiming Ranma as a lap warmer, a sign landed smack dab in the middle of her face. Peeling the sign off, Akane quickly recognized the poor penmanship of Genma, though to be fair, he probably wrote better than most pandas. A flash of irritation flashed through her as Genma had haphazardly chucked the sign without care if his target might be harmed. Squashing it down, she quickly set about reading the darn thing and what Genma wanted.

"Akane, be quiet and let Nabiki distract Ranma," the sign read, upon finishing that side, she flipped it over and read the back side. "Please, fetch some cold water. It might snap the boy out of it."

Briefly, Akane thought of disobeying the order. Who was Genma to be ordering her anyways? Her potential father-in-law, that's who. If she disobeyed him, then what kind of daughter-in-law would she be? A very poor one, she decided, one that no one would really want to have their son marry.

Without a word, nor a glance spared at her taunting sibling, Akane got to her feet and quickly shuffled away from the pair. A part at her screamed at her for giving in, for just letting her sister sink her claws in deeper. Wasn't she supposed to be saving Ranma from her devilish sister, not allowing him to be lead to slaughter? Another part quickly voiced its own doubt to this course of action, which caused Akane to quicken her step.

There was no way she'd let Nabiki see her waver, no way she'd show that she couldn't defeat her sister's wily schemes.

Nabiki, meanwhile, gawked at the sight of Akane moving away. Was her overly possessive sibling giving up on something the younger sister felt was hers? The very idea itself was ridiculous and nearly had no business being dwelled upon in any fashion. Yet, Akane made no move to summon Ranma back to her, made no move to yell at Nabiki for trying to take her fiancé, as absurd as that would have sounded.

Her, the Ice Queen of Furinkan High, looking for a fiancé? An even bigger anchor and burden than a boyfriend? The notion made Nabiki want to toss her head back and laugh about it, if not for the fact that she didn't need to scare Ranma is his cat-state.

The notion she was allegedly seeking such a permanent attachment was still amusing, as such, a slight light of mirth filled her eyes as she stroked Ranma's back. His shirt made a poor replacement for a coat of soft fur, but the feeling of all the subtly toned muscles under her hand made her feel something, but that wasn't all to clearly defined. It could range from affection to base lust, an inner perversity that demanded its thirst be quenched.

But whatever it was, it didn't really matter to Nabiki at this point.

Akane reached the water fountain when it dawned on her she didn't have anything to carry the water back to Ranma. She quickly looked for something, anything that would aid her in getting some cold water for Ranma. She didn't particularly like the idea of her sister being alone with Ranma right now.

Once again, her doubts rose up to voice their protest of her actions. Why was she getting some cold water rather than separating her sister and Ranma? Nabiki could get cold water just as easily as she could, it made no sense to send her.

It was then she realized how her actions over the past month had been viewed by others.

She had always seemed to resent Ranma being too close to her. It didn't help that she had yelled at him in the morning during his first week there, but she didn't mean anything by it. She felt trapped, and the way Ranma had a habit of nearly smothering anything that piqued his interest, was it any wonder she lashed out at him?

But maybe that was the problem here. On the outside looking in, maybe whatever budding feelings one may hold for the other is simply washed out by the projected perception of the two. Maybe that was why Nabiki was trying to steal Ranma away, after all, they didn't look like that much of a couple.

Not that they were a couple of course.

Shaking her head, she cleared the distracting thoughts away she found a discarded bucket near the fountain. Clearly someone had dropped it in their rush to see what was happening, so thusly they wouldn't miss it. Having swept aside any possible moral dilemma, Akane quickly filled the bucket with water.

Once she had enough, she swiftly turned on her heel and hurried back to where her sister was keeping Ranma busy. She stopped in front of the two, staring as Nabiki continued to pet Ranma like he was a long lost pet of hers. A wicked thought raced through her mind, Genma didn't say how she was supposed to splash Ranma, now did he?

Nabiki would be mad at her, but what did that matter?

A whole lot, she realized. For one, her sister had a way of gaining revenge in such a fashion you never wanted to experience it again. She still hadn't quite shaken off the effects for the last time she had made Nabiki mad.

Secondly, Ranma would probably be embarrassed to find himself snuggled up to Nabiki like he currently was at the moment. He didn't seem to appreciate the impromptu cold showers she would occasionally give him, so he wouldn't appreciate this one either. But the deciding factor for Akane had to be the fact that she wasn't as petty as Nabiki was at times.

Her older sister WAS an admitted prankster and often went too far for a laugh.

So it was with great regret that Akane did not splash her sister. After all, if she held back when her sister wouldn't, it would just prove that age isn't tied to maturity. Genma noticed her and seemed to wildly gesture for her to douse the both of them, but Akane shook her head.

"Hey Ranma!" Akane shouted, leaning back with the bucket ready to toss its contents.

The cat acting boy's head shot up and he immediately began searching for the source of Akane's voice. Once he found it, he immediately pounced towards her, sailing gracefully through the air. Alas, the pounce was not to be as Akane quickly splashed him, turning him into a her.

"What the heck!" Ranma-onna gasped, landing on all fours and jerking her head around as she tried to get her bearings.

"Finally back with us Ranma?" Akane asked, a slight smile crossing her lips at the redhead's antics.

"Akane?" the redhead queried, standing up straight. "When did we get outside?"

"You mean… you don't remember?" the youngest Tendo asked, blinking in shock.

"Well," Nabiki spoke up as she got to her feet, "I'd assume it's hard to remember things when you're being driven mad by fear."

"Yeah," Akane agreed, "that makes sense."

"So…" Ranma-onna interjected, her hands on her hips. "What happened?"

"Long story short," Nabiki said, eyeing the redhead with minor scrutiny, "we were down in the stage's trap door area and your fear of cats triggered the neko-ken."

"Oh," the redhead replied, looking down at herself and noticing she's a girl. "and I'm a girl… why?"

"Only way we could think of bringing you out boy." Genma answered, having returned from getting himself some hot water.

"Pop? What are you doing here?" the pig-tailed girl asked in confusion.

"I called him, explaining you had gone cat." Nabiki answered, taking the kettle Genma had in his hand and giving it to Ranma.

"Oh, thanks," the girl said, upturning the kettle over her head and returning to being male.

"So…" Akane said, looking around, noticing that everyone was now leaving. "Now what?"

"Go home I guess." Ranma said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah, we have a LOT to discuss," Nabiki said in a tone that gave no room for argument as she came over to flank Ranma on his left.

"Yeah," Akane said in agreement as she walked over and stood next to Ranma right. "We do."

All significance of their mutual action was lost on Ranma. The only thing he really knew for sure was he probably wasn't going to like what they had to talk about. But, there was no avoiding it for now, and running away would surely land him in very hot water with both sisters.

With sigh, Ranma started off towards the dojo at a lazy pace. Both sisters matched it quietly while Genma followed silently behind the trio. The uncomfortable silence that surrounded them was not of their own doing, but of the forces surrounding Nerima.

This calm before the storm would soon be the last calm they would know for a while.

End Chapter 10

Teaser for chapter 11

_Xian Pu_.

The name rattled around in the brain of Elder Khu Lon as she sat in the cargo hold of the plane. Her great-granddaughter's apparent desertion of her duties as Village Champion had stirred up quite a fuss back home. The other elders were furious, raging about how they should send hunters after their errant champion, as the girl could not be allowed to live after betraying them all.

Of course, Khu Lon was quick to counter that the hunters wouldn't return alive, as Xian had been both the best warrior and tracker.

It was obvious that the other elders only wanted Xian dead to weaken Khu Lon's own position. Internally, she had seethed that they would be so cowardly to be that blatant about it. Externally, however, she simply suggested that they send their own personal protégées after Xian if they were so gung ho about killing her.

THAT had gone over about as well as a snowball's chance to survive in the desert.

So here she was, trailing after her responsibility challenged heir like a common warrior. While many of the other elders would never dream of leaving the village in order to go out amongst the Outsiders, Khu Lon had no qualms about it what so ever. It had been hard to lay down her weapons and accept her cane and status as Elder, as such, she often searched for ways to depart again.

And for Xian Pu, her darling little Great-Granddaughter, this was a fate worse than death.

Author notes: Whew, finally cleared the hump and got this done. Ja ne!


	11. Where Do We Go From Here?

-1Disclaimer: Don't own Ranma ½. Rumiko Takahashi does.

Author notes: Man, I'm lazy. I've been getting over burnout, so hopefully I can get something done. Chapter 11 people, whoo! Hello to you all, it is I, your author, coming to you from my writer's desk to inform you that after countless rewrites and my very strong inability to get the opening done right. It was during this time that my muse, well, died. In the meantime while I muse shopped, I rewrote the opening some more and was still dissatisfied with it.

In any event, I finally found my muse and began to write once more, before scrapping the entire thing. In a heated debate with my muse, I finally found inspiration be going in a well, different direction. I wanted an opening that was funny, as opposed to downtrodden by the gloom from my last effort. I just need something, like clowns. Martial arts clowns even, battling a martial arts gymnast to the figurative death.

So here you are.

First I Giveth

Chapter 11 Where Do We Go From Here?

By Marik Kurakashi

Revenge is a theme often explored in fictional work. The vengeance seeker is often rugged, muscular, and dark. These three things, however, could not be used to describe Kouzo or his disciples. They were flabby, out of shape, and wore obnoxiously bright colors.

They were, in a word, clowns. Furthermore, they were a bunch of clowns, in the literal sense. Abused and spat upon by children, they wanted REVENGE on those cursed brats.

But they had, in one sense or another, achieved one of their secret goals.

That goal had been, as silly as it is revenge upon Tendo Akane. Well for one, she had a reputation of being a "Clown Puncher", a code word amongst those in the biz to denote those children that loved to punch a clown, generally in the nose. It had been a long time coming, but they had gotten their revenge, which had been nothing short of a mugging.

Now they were a dangerous, for clowns anyway, gang on the prowl of the mean streets of Nerima. Looking, and let's not forget thirsting, for revenge, they continued on their tireless search. They were non-threatening in a certain way, maybe it was the make-up, the baggy pants, or the fact that they pied people.

Of course, in retrospect, it was probably the make-up.

Anyways, this semi-threatening bunch was on the prowl for more victims. Victims who would be subjected to the gang's clown justice, horrible in some kind of way to be certain. Musabetsu Kakutou Ryu no Bakasawagi, or Indiscriminate Grappling School of Horseplay as it can be rendered, was a fighting style meant for clowns, real ones, to gain a fitting revenge on their tormentors.

Kouzo's ear perked up when he heard.. something. It was a familiar, hated, sound to the clowns, the peals of laughter ringing through their mind. But this was no ordinary, everyday, average chortle, not by a long shot.

It was the laugh of one Kuno Kodachi.

"My students!" Kouzo exclaimed, his hand shooting up into the air. "Our hour of vengeance is upon us! The Laughing Girl is on the prowl, and for our pride, we will defeat her!"

The other clowns chorused their agreement, rushing off in the direction of the crazy laugh. The citizens of Nerima watched silently as the slightly threatening group of clowns charged of into the afternoon air. After the mad gang of clowns had left, the citizens went back to their activities.

"What a bunch of clowns," one elderly man quipped, a chorus of agreeing grunt greeting his proclamation.

- - -

"Oh, my darling Ranma-sama," Kodachi cooed to herself, standing atop a concrete poll, surveying the landscape. "How cruel fate must be to keep us apart."

Her arms, crisscrossed over her stomach in a manner that pushed her breasts up, hugged the invisible pig-tailed youth. Her mind saw him clearly, a shy smile as he returned her loving embrace. She sighed, wishing her were here now, enjoying this most wondrous of views.

And maybe then she could apologize for showing him that dreadful beast that frightened him so.

In her, admittedly so, twisted mind, this phobia of Ranma made him more attractive. It was a realistic quality to a very unrealistic boy. Now, she would admit to herself that she didn't know much about him, but she was working on correcting that.

She threw her head back and laughed again, the shrill cackle bouncing off the surrounding buildings. Her laughter was cut short when a pie of all things sailed through the air at her face. A deft club strike sent the tasty desert that was being used for non-tasty methods away.

Oh how that rude person would pay for interrupting her musing about Ranma!

Kodachi daintily leaped from her perch and landed before her apparent attackers. They had numbers, all brandishing instruments of varying danger, but there was something about them that was off. Something that made her want to lapse into laughter again.

"Clowns?" she asked in bemusement.

"Yes, clowns." Kouzo answered, his bright red nose ruining the menace his scowl was trying to show.

"I have no idea what you plebeians want with my noble personage, but I will advise you to leave while I am feeling merciful." Kodachi said, pulling out her ribbon and giving it a twirl.

"Not happening," the head clown growled, readying his bowling pins to strike.

"I see you are as you appear, a clown in both title and intelligence." the girl said, a maniacal gleam in her eye. "I shall show you the folly of opposing the invincible Black Rose!"

"Get her!" Kouzo yelled, starting the clowns into a frenzied rush at Kodachi.

- - -

A young man was walking along with a friend of his, minding his business when a loud crash resounded from behind him. The blond youth and his friend, a girl, turned their attention towards the noise and were greeted by the sight of a clown flying through the air. The poor clown slammed down face first into the concrete and groaned in agony.

"She's a demon! A demon!" he moaned, clutching at his face.

"So this is what happened to the chaos," the girl said, not even looking at the clown.

"I knew it would go somewhere else when I toned it down around the others." the boy added, shaking his head.

"This is Nerima after all," she quipped, waggling a finger at the clown, which pushed him out of the road.

"Yeah, that's right." he replied, shaking his head as several more clowns ran passed the two, followed by a gymnast laughing her head off.

"Those poor clowns," the girl said, before turning and resuming her walk.

"Can't say they don't deserve it," her male companion said plainly, falling into stride next to her.

- - -

"By all that is holy, how can this mere girl by so strong?" Kouzo wailed as he watched another of his pupils go airborne.

"Silence, peasant!" Kodachi said, narrowing her eyes. "An attacker should never bemoan the strength of their intended victim!"

"Argh!" the clown yelled, before tossing several Hohoemi Bakudans at her.

"Ha!" Kodachi scoffed as she dodged the bombs. "The clown still posses more tricks does he?"

"You bet I do-ugh!" he started to retort, but was cut off by a club to the face.

"This just might be fun.." Kodachi said, lengthening her ribbon before tossing her head back and laughing uproariously.

- - -

_Xian Pu_.

The name rattled around in the brain of Elder Khu Lon as she sat in the cargo hold of the plane. Her great-granddaughter's apparent desertion of her duties as Village Champion had stirred up quite a fuss back home. The other elders were furious, raging about how they should send hunters after their errant champion, as the girl could not be allowed to live after betraying them all.

Of course, Khu Lon was quick to counter that the hunters wouldn't return alive, as Xian had been both the best warrior and tracker.

It was obvious that the other elders only wanted Xian dead to weaken Khu Lon's own position. Internally, she had seethed that they would be so cowardly to be that blatant about it. Externally, however, she simply suggested that they send their own personal protégées after Xian if they were so gung ho about killing her.

THAT had gone over about as well as a snowball's chance to survive in the desert.

So here she was, trailing after her responsibility challenged heir like a common warrior. While many of the other elders would never dream of leaving the village in order to go out amongst the Outsiders, Khu Lon had no qualms about it what so ever. It had been hard to lay down her weapons and accept her cane and status as Elder, as such, she often searched for ways to depart again.

And for Xian Pu, her darling little Great-Granddaughter, this was a fate worse than death.

Not that it mattered, the girl was still young. Her lust for freedom had clouded her eyes to duty and tradition. While the old woman would have no mercy on her fugitive kin, she would not exterminate her.

Khu Lon sighed again, hoping that she wouldn't have to go looking for Har. Her other apprentice had a habit of being annoying, which often offset her talent. The old woman, already in a foul mood, was planning on giving that stupid girl what fore in regards to her abandoning Mu Tsu in foreign lands.

It seemed she was going to Japan to discipline two of her idiotic apprentices.

The plane touched down at the airport, and Khu Lon was quick to exit the cargo hold before anyone could spot her. Weaving through the crowds unnoticed, she arrived outside the airport and spotted a cloaked figure. The old woman sighed, though her second pupil looked stupid and out of place, at least she was taking effort to hide herself.

"Good of you not to make me come after you, Har." the elder intoned, continuing on her way with her student in tow.

"Of course, elder. I would not think of missing your arrival here." the cloaked girl answered, her tone reverent.

"I trust you found Xian Pu?" Khu Lon asked, not bothering to respond to the young woman's attempt at flattery.

"I have tracked her to a forest a couple kilometers from our current position. She appears to be camping with an elderly Outsider male." Har reported dutifully.

"Her groom?" the old woman paused, a horrid feeling pulsing through her.

"No," the young woman was quick to answer, "the groom is apparently of the same age as Xian, and staying at the elder male's home."

"Good, good. Let us go and retrieve my great-granddaughter then."

With that, the two picked up their pace and headed for the forest.

- - -

Saotome Ranma was not a happy camper, obviously the first reason being that he was not actually camping. But the real reason was the fact that his big secret had been discovered by everyone at school. He, the tough martial artist, was afraid of cats.

Of course, the reason for this was an idiotic training method that his father had performed in his zeal at discovering his son's amazing learning ability. Or so the elder Saotome male would say, but Ranma wasn't sure how often he'd believe his father on this. After all, if his father truly did care about his son as the man often professed, why did it take the son almost losing his mind for him to stop?

But then, Ranma couldn't say that he wouldn't have been as overzealous as his father was.

After all, he knew the horrors of the neko-ken now, so knowing that, he'd be able to make that choice. If he were flying blind like his father, he too might have been seduced by the hyperbola contained within the manual. Not that he'd give the old man a break on it, as it was one of the few things beside Jusenkyo he could easily rail on his father for without much resistance.

Ranma sighed, looking up at the clouds from the roof of the dojo, his need to be away from everyone else taking precedence over everything else. The walk home had been excruciating, filled with painful silence and a nervous want to break it. He just couldn't think of what to say, or how to say what was necessary to alleviate the two sisters' feelings on this new development.

So he said nothing, and hoped the girls understood his desire to put this shame behind him.

- - -

Life was not fair to Tendo Akane, but then, that was true for everybody. It was only now that she was feeling really, really cheated by it all. Finally, there was a boy who wasn't a raging pervert and her sister Nabiki of all people had to get attracted to him. It just wasn't fair that she had to compete at the home front with her sister, whom many of the boys secretly whispered was far more attractive than Akane herself!

She shook her head, fighting down the jealousy she felt. Her sister was a good person with a rather warped way of handling things. Sure, she did have a tendency of draining her dates dry, but Akane had to respect the way Nabiki drove the dates down the path she wanted them to take.

Which is what made her so apprehensive about the possibility of Nabiki going on one of her dates with Ranma.

Ranma was poorer than dirt in a lot of cases, so that wasn't her concern here. It was the fact that if Nabiki could make Ranma dance for her like she did all the other saps before, then she could have him doing a whole host of unsavory things. It was enough to make her want to scream sometime, as competing against Shampoo was hard enough for her.

Shampoo was a decent enough cook, affectionate, and very womanly. Akane couldn't help but feel like a silly little thirteen year-old against a grown woman when she compared herself to the supposedly former Amazon. But at least the fact that Ranma was scared of her a lot of the time made it easy for her to keep up.

The problem now was that Nabiki wasn't scaring Ranma, which meant that anything that was favorable for the older sister would stay an advantage.

Akane sighed again, looking around her room before going over and picking up her weights. It was an old comfort, a way to focus herself when she was unbalanced by life's obstacles. Weightlifting was a controllable exercise, something that she could keep from moving out of control too fast.

If only things like love could be like this. Love couldn't be easy, couldn't be as simple as lifting weights. All in all, it was up and down like a roller coaster, unlike weightlifting, which was a controlled up and down.

Love was something she would never understand.

Some days, she was sure of how she felt about everyone around her. She wished she could go back to the idyllic days of mooning over Dr. Tofu and beating up the hentais. Go back to that simple time when she had her whole life to decide, and marriage was more of an if than a when.

Then he came, like a hurricane to her delicate house of cards. Saotome Ranma brought many things with him, chief amongst them, his seemingly tactless charm. His brash honesty, his crass nature, and his exceptional martial arts ability wrapped up into one package marked with smirk or mischievous smile.

How much more simple things would be if she didn't fall for Ranma.

But it wasn't like she could just go ahead and tell him that she sorta kinda liked him. She had to be certain that he was the right person to give her heart to, least it be trampled on like a piece of unwanted meat. She wasn't going to just give her heart to someone who might be a passing fancy, like the good doctor was.

Why did love have to mess with her mind so much? Why did every answer come back with a myriad of questions that she couldn't answer? Why was life no longer allowed to be simple since he came into her world and shook it down with a single compliment?

And why oh why did she have to face off with her devious sibling over something said sibling once professed no desire to have?

- - -

If one were studying moods, one would notice the stark contrast in outward moods between the younger two Tendo sisters. Whereas Akane was outwardly fretting and pacing about, Nabiki was sitting in her room, doing her homework calmly. That isn't to say that she was getting much of it down now, as her mind was awash with a myriad of concerns.

Ranma's behavior earlier confused the rational side of Nabiki's mind. Why was he jumping between Nabiki and Akane like that? What, if any, significance did his actions hold? Was it just a side effect of the cat induced madness?

Or was it something deeper, an instinctual truth that was buried deep within Ranma? If that was the case, it was either buried too deep, or in place his rational mind just didn't go often enough. But then, if his rational mind couldn't reach whatever the hell caused his cat side to act like this, did that mean they would have to drive him mad to get him to behave like that all the time?

Nabiki wasn't sure how she should take that thought, so she pushed from her mind and focused on things.

The more emotional half of her mind, being emotional and maybe a little childish, started off it's summation of events by calling the rational side a poopy head. After this had past, the emotional side brought forth the argument of the emotions aroused by the Saotome heir. While the rational side scoffed, the emotional side did point out the random spikes in hormones whenever Ranma was breached.

After all, he stirred different emotions in her that had been absent for a while. Love, er Attraction rather, base lust, happiness, giddiness and even a dollop of protectiveness tossed in there when it could sneak on through the veil. The emotional side concluded, based on all the evidence, that Nabiki felt something for Ranma.

What that was, the emotional side concluded, was something for Nabiki to figure on her own.

The rational side scoffed again, bringing up reputation and the potential harm that was done by her affectionately petting Ranma in public. It went on to further suggest that the emotional information was sketchy at best and it would be rather rational to just chuck it out. This, obviously, didn't sit well with the emotional side, which protested that the rational side liked to do something weird with donkeys.

After Nabiki had thoroughly pounded her head against the desk to rid herself of that image, the emotional side got itself under control. The rational side, obviously put off by that exclamation, simply decided to point out how out of control the emotional side was now a days. It concluded that though there might be some sort of feelings for Ranma, that she should approach it rationally first before going on with any relationship.

Tendo Nabiki was rational, if she was anything… besides being a person.

Nabiki decided to ignore the two different halves of her mind, because what do they know really? This wouldn't work, if she wanted to find out about her feelings, she would have to confront an old nemesis. It was one that she spent a fair amount of time battling down over the years.

It was, of course, her heart. Besides being reputed for pumping her icy blood, it was supposed to house all of her emotions as well. But it would not be an easy thing to summon up, after all, she ignored that it was even there for the better part of her life.

She hoped that it would answer a few of her questions at least, chief being whether or not the rational side of her mind really did like doing weird stuff to donkeys.

No, no, not THAT one! The one about Ranma and what she felt, about for, whatever. The question that got her to the point that the emotional side made such a ridiculous claim, the question that was making her not do her homework.

Homework for her was important stuff, the sooner it was done, the sooner she could start scheming. A bet here, a scam there, and a little extra pocket money for snacks and other luxury items would be hers. Some people would tell you that it was a very bad thing to be so money hungry, but they were people who probably would do the same schemes she did if it made them a good bit of yen and entertainment.

But enough about that, it's time to see what wisdom a neglected heart may hold.

'Hello heart,' she though, a chibi-Nabiki appearing in front of a great red screen.

'_Oh ho, look who it is_,' the heart pulsed back. '_Now that you have an emotional dilemma, suddenly I exist again_?'

'You have every right to be mad,' she thought back, 'I really shouldn't have ignored you like I have.'

'_What's this? The infallible Nabiki Tendo admitting she was wrong_?' the heart pulsed tersely.

'You're a part of me too, you know.' her reply was tinged with annoyance.

'_Oh really? Really I am? Well golly gee, I think I may just stop with joy from that_.' the heart's reply was laced with bitterness and sarcasm.

'NO! NO PLEASE! NOT THAT!' came the frantic reply, the chibi-Nabiki waving her arms frantically.

'_Ack! Hey, no adrenaline toots! Calm down, I was joking_.' the heart pulsed desperately, before the girl did something unseemly in her panties.

'Ok… Can we please skip the pomp and circumstance and allow me to ask my question so we can go back to our old ways of me ignoring you, and you resenting me for it?' answered the girl, the chibi-Nabiki now bowing to the symbol of the heart.

'_Yes, yes, get on with it_.' the heart pulsed, a few silent pulses went off to show its annoyance.

'What do I, rather, WE feel about Saotome Ranma?' chibi-Nabiki mouthed, staring intently at the heart symbol.

'_Hmmmm…we feel… stuff._' the heart pulsed after a moment of deliberation.

'Stuff?' was the predictably confused reaction.

'_Specifically, we feel that he is sexually exciting, an intellectual curiosity, and a potential friend/business partner/lover_.' the heart pulsed, clarifying its previous answer.

'But, do we love him?' came the urgent response.

'_Love? Not right now. Is it a strong like? Yes. But more info on the young Saotome will be needed for further analysis. The capacity and potential is there, but if it is reached will take time_._' the heart answered, pulsing rapidly._

'Thanks heart. You know, we should do this more often.' the response came, the chibi-Nabiki waving with a huge smile on her face.

'_Yes, we should. Oh and Nabiki_?' the heart pulsed once more.

'Yeah?'

'_The emotional side of us spend all day imbibing a whole host of hormones. It would likely tell you that that eating a certain kind of cheese after five is a sign of lesbianism if it thought you would listen_.'

'Oh. Right, thanks for the advice. Bye heart!'

'_Bye, Nabiki_.'

Nabiki sat back, drained from the pow-wow with her heart. It had given her a great deal of insight into how she felt, but hadn't outright answered the questions presented. At least, not in a way that satisfied her.

She stretched, deciding that a snack would be in order to help reign in her focus. Her mind would settle itself like it always did, but an empty stomach is an unhappy stomach. As she went, she couldn't help but go back over some of the tings she had learned from the heart.

"But what if eating that kind of cheese after five really was a sign of lesbianism?" she muttered to herself as she walked out of her room. "Would explain a few things about some of the girls at school."

- - -

Ranma sighed to himself as he jumped down from the roof, landing lightly on his feet as he had done so may times before. His rest on the roof did nothing but stir up his appetite. Heading inside, he hoped he could swipe a quick snack before Kasumi caught him.

At the same time, Nabiki was now making her way down to the kitchen. Her own internal monologue had awaken her stomach to desire a snack as well. So caught up in her desire to sneak, she wasn't watching where she was going.

Which is why she literally ran into Ranma, who being surprised, fell back, dropping the middle Tendo down on top of him.

'Well,' she thought sarcastically to herself, 'I did want to get on top of everything concerning Ranma, I didn't mean it literally!'

'Oh this is just great,' Ranma thought bitterly, 'I wonder who's going to show up to catch us like this?'

"What was that?" Kasumi's voice wafted in from another part of the house she had been cleaning.

The two downed people began to scramble in an effort to untangle themselves. This of course had the effect of tangling them more, since the effort wasn't anywhere near coordinated. Thus, the two were still on the floor, this time Ranma on top of Nabiki, both wiggling in an odd manner.

"Oh… oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed as she came into the room, happening on the sight of what looked like Ranma dry humping Nabiki.

"It's not what it looks like!" Ranma yelled, still trying to get free from the odd tangle their legs were in.

"Definitely!" Nabiki agreed, wiggling in a counter-productive manner towards her goal of freeing herself.

"Alright, stop!" Kasumi commanded, seeing that the two were only impeding the other from escaping the tangle.

Both of the tangled teens stopped.

"Okay, now Ranma, and Ranma only, pull left leg away from Nabiki's right." the eldest Tendo sister instructed.

Ranma's left leg became free from the tangle.

"Now Nabiki, move your left leg away from Ranma's right." Kasumi said patiently.

Their legs were no longer tangled.

"Now stand up Ranma."

Ranma got to his feet, upon which he helped Nabiki up.

"Now wasn't that simple?" Kasumi said, smiling and clapping her hands together.

"Yeah, it was." Ranma said, briefly looking into Nabiki's eyes before looking away.

"Sure was, sis." Nabiki said, puzzling over the look she got just now.

"Now, what were you two up to before you wound up tangling limbs, hmm?" Kasumi asked, hands clasped, leaning forward just a tad.

"Err.." Ranma started, avoiding Kasumi's gaze.

"Hoping to sneak a pre-dinner snack?" Nabiki finished sheepishly.

"Oh, ok then. There are some leftovers in the fridge you can heat up." Kasumi answered, turning around and going back to whatever she was doing before.

The pair watched Kasumi leave, feeling slightly embarrassed for sneaking around and getting tangled up like that. An awkward silence passed, as they tried to think of something, anything to say. After a minute, Nabiki coughed and got Ranma's attention.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking her in the eye yet again before turning away.

'What is with that?' she thought, before filing that away for later. "How about we go over our training regiment while we eat our snacks?"

"S-sure," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "Sounds… fun."

The pair made their way to the kitchen, unmindful of anything else. Had they been paying attention, they would have noticed the panda on the porch stealthfully watching the two. As it were, the panda had a huge grin on its face, seemingly pleased with what it saw.

"That's my boy!" the sign grasped in the panda's paw read, which was dropped as the panda proceeded to perform a dance of joy… or maybe it was just having a seizure.

End Chapter 11

Hohoemi Bakudans : Smiling bombs

Teaser for Chapter 12:

"Xian Pu." the cloaked girl uttered, a feral smile lurking under the shadows of her hood.

"Har Karu, you is Shampoo's enemy! Though Great-Grandmother teach us both, you is one who shall never learn!" the lavender haired girl growled back, her bonbori appearing in her hands easily.

"Ho now, what is this?" Soun asked, placing a hand on Shampoo's shoulder.

"She Har Karu, one I warn lost boy about. She puppet fighter, no hold passion for the purity of war arts, only for toadying up to Elders." Shampoo replied, her venom all but dripping from her chin.

"I see, she must wear that cloak to cover up her brown nose." the Tendo Patriarch mused, rubbing his chin.

"You'll pay for that old man! Once I beat this rogue down, I'll have plenty left for you." Har said, taking a peculiar stance.

"You is all talk and no action!" Shampoo said, rushing forward to strike at her foe.

"Oh that's a good one, you coward. At least I would never run from my responsibilities." the cloaked warrior girl snapped back, blocking the blow with curious sickle-like weapons.

"Shotels?" Soun said in shock, being that Shotels were generally a Middle Eastern weapon.

"Har Karu, you is one Shampoo can never forgive!" Shampoo screamed, throwing a quick swing.

Har blocked it.

"You is one Shampoo hate most!" another swing.

Another block intercepted it.

"You is one Shampoo always consider eternal enemy!" a vicious kick lashed out for the other girl's midsection.

The kick slipped through her guard and nailed Har hard in the stomach.

'S-she's gotten faster!' Har thought, her weapons drooping. 'And stronger!'

"HAR KARU, FOR YOU CRIMES, SHAMPOO KILL!" Shampoo charged with a mighty thrust, one that could easily carry through with that promise.

'That girl… she can't stop it!' Soun thought in horror, sure that he was about to see the mysterious girl's demise.

Author notes: I'm done with this chapter, maybe I'll get twelve done before 2008. Stay frosty.


	12. With a Hint of Khu Lon

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Viz Communications and Rumiko Takahashi. Buy the Ranma manga and support your local anime shop, ya'hear?

Author Note: It's chapter 12, and even after over three years, I'm still writing this story. Hope everyone is still around that wants to be, now let's get into the action, fiction machine.

First I Giveth

Chapter 12 With a Hint of Khu Lon

By Marik Kurakashi

Ah, nature, its inherent beauty stirs up a sense of instinctual nostalgia, as if harkening back to the times before the concrete jungles of today. Soun was discovering this for himself, as he had been camping out and training for the past few days. Of course he was not alone, as the former Amazon Shampoo had come across the former crying man and decided to train with him.

The advantage of youth, they say, is better stamina and energy, as well as recovery. On the other hand, the disadvantage of youth was the fact that they were all so gullible that it should almost be a crime to take advantage of that. But, as Soun liked to think of it, youth and exuberance would always lose out over experience and trickery.

Not that he had to resort to tricks against the young Chinese girl.

His trip was sadly coming to an end. Though it was short, he gained more knowledge of who he was now and how he wanted to be in the future. It was time for him to return home and reopen his dojo, to once again spread one of his life's greatest joy to the population of Nerima.

Silently, he gathered up his equipment, deciding to let his campmate sleep in for now. She would be up soon enough, and he didn't want her feeling like she had to do stuff for this elder. He couldn't begin to fathom the Amazon society she came from, this girl no older than his youngest daughter.

It was enough to make his head spin just to even contemplate the lessons that had been drilled into her by the elders of her village.

The packing was done by the time Shampoo had roused herself from slumber. Not paying any mind to the girl as he mentally checked his stuff, making sure he wasn't leaving anything behind. When she had apparently return from the restroom, he looked over at her expectantly.

"Ah, you is going home now?" she asked, still sleepy it seemed.

"Mm, I need to go home, back to my dojo and family." he answered, finishing his check.

"Well, join Shampoo for breakfast before you go?" she asked, smiling a bit as sleep left her.

"Sure, no use hiking on an empty stomach." he said, positioning his pack against a rock.

After a quick breakfast, Soun and Shampoo headed off. The former Amazon girl had decided to walk with him back to the city, no doubt a measure of her upbringing regarding elders. They quietly talked about the art and other stuff, though it was mostly idle chatter.

Up in the trees, something, or perhaps someone, was stalking them. The figure watched Shampoo closely as it silently leapt from treetop to treetop. As the pair was reaching the end of the forest, the figure made its move.

It leapt from the trees, now fully in the sun, it was readily apparent that the figure was a she.

"Xian Pu." the cloaked girl uttered, a feral smile lurking under the shadows of her hood.

"Har Karu, you is Shampoo's enemy! Though Great-Grandmother teach us both, you is one who shall never learn!" the lavender haired girl growled back, her bonbori appearing in her hands easily.

"Ho now, what is this?" Soun asked, placing a hand on Shampoo's shoulder.

"She Har Karu, one I warn lost boy about. She puppet fighter, no hold passion for the purity of war arts, only for toadying up to Elders." Shampoo replied, her venom all but dripping from her chin.

"I see, she must wear that cloak to cover up her brown nose." the Tendo Patriarch mused, rubbing his chin.

"You'll pay for that old man! Once I beat this rogue down, I'll have plenty left for you." Har said, taking a peculiar stance.

"You is all talk and no action!" Shampoo said, rushing forward to strike at her foe.

"Oh that's a good one, you coward. At least I would never run from my responsibilities." the cloaked warrior girl snapped back, blocking the blow with curious sickle-like weapons.

"Shotels?" Soun said in shock, being that shotels were generally a Middle Eastern weapon.

"Har Karu, you is one Shampoo can never forgive!" Shampoo screamed, throwing a quick swing to probe the other girl's defense.

Har blocked it, hooking a shotel around the handle of the bonbori and tugging it away.

"You is one Shampoo hate most!" Shampoo shrieked, flowing with the block into another swing.

Another block intercepted it, this time Har crossing the shotels to block the swing and push Shampoo away. Seizing the momentum, Har launched a quick slashing combo before ending with a hooking sweep of the shotel. Shampoo quickly flipped the grip on both to an overhand one, blocking each slash before evading the sweep.

"Damn!" Har grunted, spinning with the miss in order to recover faster. 'Can't let her get my back.'

"You is one Shampoo always consider eternal enemy!" Shampoo proclaimed before launching a vicious kick at the off-balance girl's midsection.

The kick slipped through Har's sloppy guard, nailing her hard in the stomach.

'S-she's gotten faster!' Har thought, her weapons drooping. 'And stronger!'

"HAR KARU, FOR YOU CRIMES, SHAMPOO KILL!" Shampoo charged with a mighty thrust, one that could easily carry through with that promise.

'That girl… she can't stop it!' Soun thought in horror, sure that he was about to see the mysterious girl's demise.

It would have been the end of Har Karu, if not for the gnarled staff end that suddenly appeared and blocked the thrust completely. The ancient wood, one that shouldn't hold up against the cast iron head of the bonbori, was held in the hand of what looked like an unwrapped mummy. Perched on Har's head, the person glared at Shampoo.

"G-Great-Grandmother!" the girl in question stuttered out, her fighting spirit evaporating.

"Indeed child, it is I." Khu Lon intoned, lowering her staff as her great-granddaughter scrambled away.

"W-what is you doing here?" Shampoo managed to ask, trying her hardest not to start weeping in open terror.

"I am here to find you, my ungrateful apprentice." the elderly woman intoned before hopping off her perch.

"So, Soun said, drawing attention to himself, "this is your Great-Grandmother Shampoo?"

Khu Lon turned her attention to the man asking the question, sizing him up now that she had time to. To the untrained eye, the old man would seem harmless at best. But to an eye as trained as hers, he screamed out threat, one that she decided to heed to for now.

"Greetings, I am Elder Khu Lon of Joketsuzoku," the ancient woman said, bowing her head a bit. "If my name is too rough for your tongue, you may call me Cologne."

"And my greetings to you, Elder." the man said, bowing slightly himself. "I am Tendo Soun, a martial artist on a training trip."

"It is a pleasure indeed, I don't often run across foreign masters of the Art, however different the forms may be." she said slyly, giving him a weird look.

"Have you gone senile elder? That old Outsider, a master of the Art?" Har asked incredulously, rolling her eyes for emphasis.

"No, no I haven't. Are you saying you are more perceptive in this matter than I?" Cologne asked, eyes narrowing, her tone biting.

"Whatever." the cloaked girl muttered, looking off to the side for a second.

That second was all Cologne needed, as the withered elder put her staff to use. A swift and violent swing of her staff blew past any defense Har could even hope of mustering, the staff connecting violently to the chin of the girl. The girl toppled like a sack of potatoes, while Cologne resumed her stance, breathing out a sigh.

"You'll have to forgive me, my idiot apprentice makes me so very angry sometimes." she said, bowing her head slightly again.

The other two could only stare in shock at her.

- - -

An unfamiliar ceiling greeted Kouzo, a clown by trade. Here in this stale hospital room, he wore no make up, no goofy wig adorned his bandaged head. His face was cover in stitches and bruises, a lasting reminder of what revenge had gotten him.

He and his students, bitter clowns like him, had attempted to take revenge for all the indignities clowns have taken over the years. They had defeated that clown puncher Akane, humiliated her even. How were they to know that a bunch of clowns couldn't take one girl?

Of course, that girl had to be the psychopathic Kuno Kodachi.

Reflexively, he jarred as his mind remembered the sound of her ribbon whistling in the air. He shook as though being struck in the face, a reminder of the repeated club blows he had taken to the face. That demoness had thoroughly battered him and his students.

His precious students, his pride an joy, each one like a son to him. He had trained them all as well as he could, honing their innate clowning skills into a deadly blade. They had the numbers, the weapons, and even the training. They should have won, won easily, so why?

"Why did we lose so badly?" Kouzo muttered, tears flowing down his face as his nightmares surfaced to haunt him again.

- - -

"Get her!" Kouzo commanded, his bowling pins ready to strike once his students had gotten her guard down.

Musabetsu Kakutou Ryu no Bakasawagi was a style dedicated to teamwork. Everything about the school, every tenant, was predicated on setting up your teammates for their own attacks. There was nothing for a solo clown to use in defense, it was an utterly offensive art, one that needed high numbers and fast attacks to be successful.

Kodachi, meanwhile, had grown use to being flanked by the sore losers who lost fairly to her. She knew, on a more instinctual level, how to breakdown flanks and expose weakness in teamwork. Her ribbon snapped out, popping the balloon animal held by one of the clowns.

She was already move against the next clown, unmindful or uncaring that the balloon exploded with tremendous force.

With an ethereal grace, she twirled and lashed out with her ribbon, nailing a clown in the face. With a flick, she stole the pie he had been carrying and with another subtle movement, sent it airborne. A quick spring up brought her within reach other the desert turned weapon, which she spiked at a third clown. As that clown dropped his mallet to grab at his face as it burned with piey goodness, Kodachi landed and used her ribbon to bring the mallet to her.

In less than a minute, she had defeated three of the clowns.

"W-what?" Kouzo gasped, their heretofore perfect teamwork shattered.

"O fool, you did not think the Black Rose an easy foe, did you?" the gymnast said, easily holding the mallet in her left hand while twirling the ribbon with her right.

"But… but," he sputtered, "this is impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible for the Black Rose!" she returned, before attack again.

The fourth clown managed a shot with his slingshot , but unfortunately, he missed. After swaying out of the way, Kodachi snapped the ribbon down at his legs, tangling it around them. A mighty tug brought him with in range of the Black Rose, who promptly buried the mallet in his skull.

The fifth clown readied his seltzer bottle, which contained far more irritants than water. Alas, he never got to use it, as the gymnast furiously whipped him three times before tangling him in the ribbon and hurling him into the air. As he sailed into the air, the other clowns warily eyed the leotard clad terror.

Of the nine, Kouzo included, only four remained standing.

"Run away!" one of the other clowns screamed, fleeing in the direction the last clown was tossed. The rest soon followed.

Kodachi tilted her head back and laughed, the fools were running away! If they thought they could attempt to harm the noble personage of Kuno Kodachi and simply get away with it, they had another thing coming. Crouching down, she loosened her legs before sprinting after them.

"How can this be?" Kouzo exclaimed, tears of fear streaking from his face. "How can this one girl defeat us all?"

"Did we escape?" huffed the last clown, who looked over his shoulder.

A garbage can, thankfully empty, sailed through the air and nailed him in the face.

"Takeshi!" Kouzo yelped in terror.

"Waaah, Master Kouzo save us!" the other two chorused, tears flying from their eyes.

"No one can save you!" thundered Kodachi, as she charged at the two.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, we're sorry!" they screamed, both running together in the same direction.

Kouzo thought quickly, he had to save his remaining students or else he wouldn't be able defend himself, er, take revenge on Kodachi. He threw his bowling pins away, before placing at his sides, hands positioned as if they had balls in them to be thrown. Focusing his ki, he formed his ultimate technique.

"Hohoemi bakudan!" he yelled, hurling the two smiling bombs at Kodachi.

"Hmm, what's this?" she mused, before dodging the bombs… which sailed right into the students he had been trying to save.

KA-BOOM!

A purplish cloud of smoke erupted from the blast, which thankfully drowned out the wail from the two clowns. The smoke dissipated quickly, revealing the two smolder clowns, who promptly collapsed. His horror at harming his students gave way to another kind of horror.

"I'm the only one left…" he said, backing away from the girl.

"I must admit, a most impressive technique. It would be better served if you didn't yell out its name though, as it ruins the surprise." she said, smiling sinisterly and she eyeballed the head clown.

"You stay away from Master Kouzo!" Takeshi said, surprising both Kodachi and his master.

"Oh ho, you can still stand? A credit to your bumbling fool of a master, I'm sure." the crazed teen said, her smile turning down right maniacal.

"Takeshi, run away!" Kouzo shouted, panic seizing him wholly.

"I can't abandon you to the whims of this harpy!" Takeshi retorted, struggling to stay standing.

"HARPY!?" the Black Rose screeched. "You, who assaulted me, dare slight me for defending myself against you!?"

"Oh stuff it." Takeshi huffed, wobbling a bit.

"Oh, I'm sure you stuff it every night after training with your master." Kodachi said, a derisive sneer on her face.

"What?" the teetering clown hollered.

"You, who can slight the beauty presented before you, are not one who craves the sensual touch of a woman." she explained, running a hand over her body.

"You… YOU!" he sputtered in indignant rage.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of, the loving bond between a boy and his sensei is a wonderful thing." the girl said in an almost pleasant tone. "After all, I'm sure he has a gentle touch for all his students, both before, during, and after training."

"You witch!" Takeshi roared, picking up the garbage can and charging her. "How dare you slander Master Kouzo like that!"

Said witch simply sidestepped the charge and tangled him up in her ribbon. She reached out and mockingly patted him on his head. Triumphantly, she tossed her head back and uproariously laughed.

"Oh what a cleaver girl I am. I figure, if a metal can to the face isn't enough to keep you down, why not let gravity do the job for me?" she mused aloud.

With a twist, she flicked him into the air.

"By all that is holy, how can this mere girl by so strong?" Kouzo wailed as he watched another of his pupils go airborne.

"Silence, peasant!" Kodachi said, narrowing her eyes. "An attacker should never bemoan the strength of their intended victim!"

"Argh!" the clown yelled, before tossing several Hohoemi Bakudans at her.

"Ha!" Kodachi scoffed as she dodged the bombs. "The clown still posses more tricks does he?"

"You bet I do-ugh!" he started to retort, but was cut off by a club to the face.

"This just might be fun.." Kodachi said, lengthening her ribbon and smiling sadistically.

- - -

"Doctor!" a nurse screamed, "where's the doctor?"

In his bed, Kouzo shook violently as he relieved the beating yet again. Soon, the doctor came and administered a shot that put him into a dreamless sleep. The convulsions slowly stopped, the hospital staff sighing in relief.

"It's such a shame really. Kouzo was always a nice clown." the nurse said, walking out with the doctor.

"I know," he replied, wishing he could smoke right now. "He was the clown at my daughter's fifth birthday party. She adored him."

"Really, what kind of brute would something like this to such a nice clown?"

- - -

"Hiyah!" Nabiki yelled, kicking the bag that hung in the dojo. Ranma was helpfully steadying the bag for her, all the while silently critiquing her kicks.

"Hiyah!" Akane cried as she kicked a dummy out in the yard. She couldn't stand being in the dojo with them, an almost imperceptible feeling of not belonging. She was being ignored by them while they trained, but she had been a little more aggressive in spending time with Ranma when Nabiki wasn't around.

It just wasn't fair sometimes as Nabiki had Ranma to help her understand the family school scrolls as she started training again. She wouldn't allow her icy sister to get better than her, which is why she was reading the family scrolls on the sly. She'd train by herself, and get way better than Nabiki would, who would have Ranma holding her back.

She just had to master this first advanced technique, upon which all the others were based.

Now, contrary to several legends, her father's demon head technique was not a part of the family school. In fact, it was developed solely for get people's attention and/or getting lazy students to obey orders. If Saotome branch was mid-air combat, then the Tendo branch would be ground based.

As far as she could understand it, most of the advanced techniques of the Tendo school promoted greater harmony with the Earth and its ki. The first technique, from which all the others branched from, appeared to be a medication technique. The real danger, was that you had to exhaust yourself before you could try it.

Which is what she was doing right now.

Back inside the dojo, Nabiki was sparring with Ranma, and as it usually went with Akane, she couldn't touch him to save her life. Every kick, punch, chop and cunning thrust all sailed passed the pigtailed boy as he swayed like a palm tree in a stiff wind. It would be very frustrating if the attacker expected to hit her target, but such was not the case with Nabiki.

The sole reason for her to do this, was to build up her routines. While she held no illusions of one day challenging Ranma, having the ability to extract herself from a sticky situation would definitely come in handy. Thus, she trained with him in the Art, to better defend herself in the future when words wouldn't win against fists.

And getting to spend time with her new found friend didn't hurt.

The sparring continued for another fifteen minutes, with no words exchanged between the two. The rhythmic thump on the dojo floor as Nabiki continuously chased Ranma around mingled with the odd grunt of concentration in an odd melody. When it was obvious that Nabiki was tiring, Ranma quickly put a halt to the sparring.

"Okay, now we meditate. Now, I want you to practice that meditation technique mentioned in the scrolls alright?" Ranma said, handing a towel and a water bottle to Nabiki.

"Alright, thanks." she said, taking the proffered items. She toweled down her sweat and slowly drank the water to replenish herself.

"How are you holding up?" he asked, as he toweled down as well.

"I'm okay. Besides, I'll get to regain my wind during the meditation." the middle Tendo sister answered, stretching herself out a bit while being mindful of the gi she was wearing.

"Gotcha," he said, nodding his head.

Both quickly took up their meditative positions, beginning the next phase of their training plan.

Outside, Akane had finally worn herself down enough to attempt that technique. Taking up a loose Lotus position, she closed her eyes and fell away from the world. Blackness washed up around her as fell further into the meditative state.

"Life requires balance," she intoned, reading the scroll aloud. "That which is harmonious shall know true peace, that which thrives on discord shall know true strife. The spirit is wild, needing discipline for balance. Without balance, man shall make enemies of man and nature."

She exhaled and began to glow a soft white color tinged with slight blackness.

"Man is naturally a being of light and darkness. In this natural yin and yang can one understand the need for balance in all things."

The glow shifted from white to a fiery orange.

"Fire is nature's way of showing imbalance to its children. Wild and untamed, through contact with Man fire can be balanced from its inherent chaos. In studying Fire, one can understand what part of Man's balance is Fire. Fire shows itself through passion, be it love or other strong emotions."

Another breath, and the glow shifted from orange to a warm blue.

"Water is nature's balance to fire. Both elements shall cancel one another out, Water always sacrificing itself to quell Fire. Water is calming and serene, yet can also be violent and unruly. In studying Water, one can understand what part Water plays in Man's balance. Water shows itself in gentleness, generally in calm or other muted emotions."

Breathing steadily, Akane focused even more, changing the glow from blue to a rich brown.

"Earth is nature's body. Strong and reliable, Earth supports Man in every way, from nourishing him to being the ground he walks on. In studying Earth, one can understand Earth's portion of Man's balance. Earth shows itself in reliability, showing itself in characteristics such as reliability and honesty."

Once more, she breathed again, changing from brown to a gentle green.

"Wood is Earth and Water's child element. Nourishment from both these parent elements allow wood to flourish, a reflection of Man's own relation to these elements. In studying Wood, Man can find what balance is derived from Wood. Wood, like Earth, is sturdy, but it does not show itself reflectively towards Man as Wood or Water."

Her breathing continued, the glow intensifying as it changed from green to stark yellow.

"Wind is nature's breath. Wind is ever changing and temperamental, as it can be light and breezy, or strong and forceful. In studying Wind, the reflection from this element will reveal its place in Man's balance. Wind shows itself in moods, be they light and playful, or dark and brooding."

Yet another breath, the glow reverting to its original color.

"There are far more to these elements than study can show. There is far more to Man than simple balance between light and dark, and all the other opposing yin and yang. As I study them, I will find balance in myself, and in doing so, gain mastery over these elements."

The glow swirled through all the colors briefly before settling down.

"From Fire I shall take its passion, from Water its serenity, from Earth its reliability, from Wood its sturdiness, from Wind its change. In balance I shall find my truest peace. Even if I shall find myself on the most barren of land, I shall still have all I need to defeat my enemies."

Her glow ceased as she came out of the trance, the world fading back to her.

"I, I did it." she whispered, elation ringing through her. "I may not have mastered it, but it's a start."

She got up and stretched, before going to the dojo to check on Ranma and Nabiki's progress.

Inside of the dojo, Ranma was waking Nabiki from her trance.

"Hey, meditation time is over Nabiki." he called softly, shaking her gently."

"Mm? Oh, ok." she said faintly, coming out of her revere.

"Hey you two, how's it going?" Akane said, as she came into the dojo trying to be inconspicuous.

"Good, we just got done meditating." Ranma said, helping Nabiki to her feet.

"That's good, want to go with me on a quick run before dinner?" Akane asked, trying to fight down the urge to frown at how close they were acting.

"Sure, let's go." Nabiki said, heading to get her shoes on.

And soon, the trio departed from the dojo.

- - -

'Lost again,' Ryoga thought to himself bitterly as he trudged through the streets of Nerima. 'Fat lot I could do in protecting Akane.'

He had gotten out of Tofu's clinic the other day, the good doctor treating his injuries for free. He had rushed from there without thinking, when he could have had Tofu phone the Tendos and bring them there. That hadn't occurred to him until he had already lost sight of the clinic.

Frantically, he kept search, hoping that Akane hadn't been killed yet.

Ever since he ran into Shampoo and learned about that other girl, Har Karu, Ryoga had been panicking non-stop. His dreams were the breeding ground from nightmares, as some shadowy girl killed Akane in varying degrees of gruesomeness. He continued on, imploring the heavens for just one break.

Back and forth his head jerked in a vain attempt to fight off the growing fear and sadness that rippled through him. Akane was in danger, this was no time to be dawdling about weeping his eyes out over a silly nightmare! With hopeful exuberance, the lost boy charged ahead with his mind firmly set on his goal.

And perhaps he might find it sooner than later.

- - -

Some might say that the first time is infinitely more special than everything that follows it. A baby's first step, a girl's first kiss, these and more were all celebrated firsts by people the world over. So it shouldn't come as any surprise that Ukyo was overwhelmed with joy as she put the finishing touches on her first restaurant.

Ucchan's was becoming a reality, a dream finally fulfilled. She would sell okonomiyaki like her father, but she wouldn't give up like her old man did. The old geezer had allowed his cart to be stolen by some stupid fat ass and his retarded thief of a son.

She quickly tamped down on her anger, not wanting to spoil her good mood by thinking of HIM.

This restaurant was hers, all hers. There was no old man to fumble it away, no old man to tell her how to make her okonomiyaki. The sea taught her far better than her father, a first class fool and a low class cook. How he ever sold a single okonomiyaki was beyond her.

It was an art, a passion to the Kuonji heir. Creating new and exciting flavors to put on her okonomiyaki was her reward for her dedication. What did that old fool do except sell the same boring disc that he claimed were okonomiyaki?

Again, she had to tamp down on her anger, as her blood pressure was threatening to take out the roof.

The quaint little shop would open tomorrow, and she would attract everyone. She wanted to attract a particular brand of customer, the gossips and the free talkers. They were the ones who would do her early groundwork for her, the ones who would make finding HIM easier.

Saotome Ranma, how her blood sang to spill his all over the ground. She would oh so enjoy meeting both him and his father again, visions of how she would "thank" them for leaving her behind danced across her eyes. It would be sweet, beyond all the sugar in the world, to complete her first revenge.

Oh her sweet revenge, sitting there for the taking, all she had to do was make it.

- - -

Quietly, Shampoo shifted the weight of Har to her opposite shoulder, the girl still unconscious from Cologne's remonstration for her attitude. She had never seen Great-Grandmother hit anyone hard enough to render them completely unconscious. Her scoldings were always a hard rap on the head, not a full blown swing from the Elder.

Shampoo shook her head, clearing her thoughts away. Everything had changed because of her decision to take exile over claiming Ranma as her husband. Of course the Elder would be furious at her over her decision to run away instead of take responsibility for her actions.

After all, Shampoo had been the one defeated on the log and at the dojo.

Ranma, Ranma, how do you solve a problem like the Saotome heir? She could hardly think about him without having two distinct schools of thought. The first being that he was incredibly attractive, and the second lamenting that he would never be hers as long as she remained clueless to the world around her.

Being an Amazon didn't impress her former Airen, as he had no clue why he should be impressed. The kiss of death fiasco surely didn't help her, but she felt at the time of her discovery of his curse that they could work past that. Her Great-Grandmother would have had plenty of ideas to help her there, ones that were sure to snag him for her.

And then, the dreams came.

The horror of Jusenkyo, only she never emerged from the pool. Falling, falling, as though the pool was actually a mouth of the Earth to swallow her whole. Other times, the horrible feeling as she watched herself foolishly drift along and wait for Ranma to marry her. How she wanted to scream at herself to stop being so foolish and to grow up.

She would awaken the same from them, tears drenching her cheeks as she tried to make sense of the lucid dreams that crippled her will. While she would never know the cause, she would be grateful for their timely intervention, as they had saved her a trip into the cursed pools. Sighing once more, she once again shifted Har, trying not to drop her.

If not for the threat of her Great-Grandmother's retribution, she would have dropped the traitorous girl a long time ago.

"So Elder," Soun started, keeping pace with the hopping woman. "Perhaps you can tell me why Shampoo was ready to kill this Haircare girl?"

"I can," she said nonchalantly, "but I think it's more of a matter of why. What interest do you have with Amazon business."

"For the week I spent training with your great-granddaughter, I learned a good deal about her." he answered, looking back at the girl meekly carrying her hated enemy. "Like how she has tremendous respect for human life and had to psych herself up in order to accurately hunt down her prey. She didn't want to kill the red-haired girl, and yet, I could almost feel her desire to end Haircare's life."

"I see," the old woman said, craning her head slightly to the side before quickly popping said bone in a groaning pop. "Concern for your friend I take it?"

"Yes."

"Very well, I shall tell you all about how this enmity started between the two, as it was told to me.."

- - -

It was the night before the annual tournament, a very still night that was filled with a nervous anticipation by the people who lived in the village. A new champion would be crowned, and the political landscape would be shaped for the next two years by this event. The winning Elder was sure to become synonymous with law, as she would have the greatest power in the council.

With that in mind, the sixteen elders had trained two pupils each for this very purpose. All of them wanted the power this was sure to grant them, and various under the table backdoor deals were made. The two chosen pupils of the Elder Khu Lon were sitting outside near the edge of the village watching the stars.

"Look!" Shampoo exclaimed as she pointed at a cluster of stars. "They are shining more brightly tonight, I wonder if it is in anticipation for the tournament."

"Who knows Xian." Haircare said with a yawn. "All this waiting is boring me to tears."

"I know how you feel." her fellow warrior said, yawning herself. "I can't wait 'til tomorrow so we can show everyone else we're the best."

"That we will, that we will." the other girl said, getting up from her position on the ground.

"Where are you going?" Shampoo asked, sitting up slightly.

"Just stretching out a bit, don't want to get stiff." Haircare answered, stretching a bit.

"Oh, okay." her training partner replied, laying back down.

There was stretch of impregnable silence that stretched across the night. Both girls didn't make a sound as the stared up at the sky in wonder. As the silence continued, Shampoo got up to stretch.

"Xian," Har started as she drew her weapons. "For my future, I cannot allow you into the tournament."

"What?" Xian said in reaction, ducking back from the shotels…

- - -

"Ah, she attacked her the night before the tournament." Soun said, nodding his head along.

"If that were all, I would be shocked at her. But Har also tried to sabotage Shampoo in many ways before the tournament." Cologne retorted.

"Like what?" he asked, curious.

"Breaking her equipment, made sure she got seeded against Shampoo in the first round. She even made a deal with a rival Elder for preferential treatment after the tournament. In a way, that red-haired girl saved Har's life because Shampoo didn't stick around after the tournament to beat her to death." she answered, shaking her head.

"So, she betrayed Shampoo's trust." he said, surmising that as the root of the problem between the two.

"Basically, yes." she said as they neared the city, the skyline seeming dark on the horizon.

The storm had arrived.

End chapter 12

Teaser for Chapter 13:

"Akane!" Ryoga yelled as he approached the jogging trio.

"Ryoga?" the named girl asked, blinking as he charged at them.

"Oh Akane, you're safe! I thought Haircare had gotten you." the lost boy said breathlessly, hunching over to catch his breath.

"Haircare?" Nabiki asked, looking at her little sister's hairdo.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ranma asked before Akane could start to get mad at that.

"Another Amazon, after Shampoo. Shampoo herself told me that this girl is a ruthless fighter and would kill Akane if ordered to!" the sometimes pig said, waving his arms in overstated panic.

"What? Why is she after me?" Akane asked, any ire at the unintentional insult gone.

"She's not, it's just… I dunno." he responded, crossing his arms sternly.

"You don't know?" Nabiki asked, leaning in to glare at him.

"Of course not!" Ryoga snapped right back, shirking away from her glare.

"And why not?" Ranma put in, glowering at his nominal rival.

"Because I forgot." he said, triggering a mass face fault.

Author note: Wow, done in a day… Is this the twilight zone? Later. Also, in the flashback between Har and Shampoo, it is assumed they are speaking in Chinese.


	13. Amazon Elder Hates You

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ isn't mine, it belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Communications. Buy Ranma related products and support your local anime shop.

Author note: Here we are at chapter 13, and here's where things start to pick up a bit. Cologne has made it to Nerima, how will our hero cope? Stay tuned…

First I Giveth

Chapter 13 Amazon Elder Hates You

By Marik Kurakashi

"Akane!" Ryoga yelled as he approached the jogging trio.

"Ryoga?" the named girl asked, blinking as he charged at them.

"Oh Akane, you're safe! I thought Haircare had gotten you." the lost boy said breathlessly, hunching over to catch his breath.

"Haircare?" Nabiki asked, looking at her little sister's hairdo.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ranma asked before Akane could start to get mad at that.

"Another Amazon, after Shampoo. Shampoo herself told me that this girl is a ruthless fighter and would kill Akane if ordered to!" the sometimes pig said, waving his arms in overstated panic.

"What? Why is she after me?" Akane asked, any ire at the unintentional insult gone.

"She's not, it's just… I dunno." he responded, crossing his arms sternly.

"You don't know?" Nabiki asked, leaning in to glare at him.

"Of course not!" Ryoga snapped right back, shirking away from her glare.

"And why not?" Ranma put in, glowering at his nominal rival.

"Because I forgot." he said, triggering a mass face fault.

"Ryoga!" the trio yelled in unison, all three shooting back to their feet.

"What?" he asked, shrinking away from them.

"What were you thinking?" Akane asked, clearly exasperated with him.

"Yeah, you need get your memory checked." Nabiki uttered, crossing her arms and shaking her head disapprovingly.

"Really man, why did you get us worked up for nothing?" Ranma said, looking disappointed in the lost boy.

"But it isn't nothing!" the berated boy shot back, finally getting his backbone back. "If this Haircare person can scare Shampoo, she must be a formidable opponent!"

"That's true, but what evidence do you have she'll be after Akane?" Nabiki asked, getting into Ryoga's private space.

"Well," he said, backing away from the middle Tendo sister. "none really."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Nabiki said, walking around him. "Hey, let's not dawdle any longer, or we'll be late for dinner.

Ranma and Akane spared a quick glance at the panicked pig boy before they too simply walked around him. Once they were past him, they all went back to jogging, paying no mind to Ryoga or his warning. He watched sadly as they disappeared around the corner, shaking his head at their stubbornness.

He had tried to warn them, and they ignored him. What agony he had endured, and they ignored it all because he forgot one little detail to his warning! For Akane, he had went through hell to find her and alert her to the potential danger to her life. But when Ukyo and Haircare teamed up, they'd be sorry… wait, Ukyo?!

"Ah, crap! I forgot to tell Ranma about that Ukyo guy too!" Ryoga exclaimed, running off after them, unfortunately, he missed their turn and was lost again.

- - -

The world faded back to Har as she finally awoke from the clubbing she had taken from Cologne. She had forgotten how hard the withered matron could hit, and also how said matron hated mouthy youngsters. It didn't matter much, she just had to get back to the village somehow and she would be safe.

Looking around, she didn't recognize where she was. It was some kind of building, but she was sure that they weren't silly enough to build such buildings in the middle of a forest. Just where in the world was she now?

"I see you have awakened, my stupid apprentice." the voice of said matron came from the door, where the Elder was standing.

"Must you call me that?" Har groused as she got up, swaying a bit as she got her balance.

"There are thousands of things much more insulting that I could call you, girl." Cologne retorted, tapping her staff against the doorframe. "You must also work on that glass jaw girl."

"Whatever," the girl said, looking away again. "Where are we?"

"An abandoned Chinese restaurant in what that man said was, Nerima." the elderly woman answered, deciding to perch herself on her staff.

"We reached the city? How long was I out?" Haircare asked, feeling slightly off about this.

"Well over an hour, in fact, you just woke up before the two hour mark could pass." Cologne replied, a garish smile on her face. "I trust I won't have to reprimand you like that again."

"No Elder." the brown haired girl said, her eyes cast down with practice. "Where's Xian?"

"In her room, tight lipped about the male who defeated her." the matron replied, eyeballing the girl.

"Ah, what do you require of me Elder?" Har inquired, bowing slightly.

"I want you to find Mu Tsu and bring him here." Cologne ordered, turning for the door. "He's been gone an awfully long time and I would like to ask him a few questions."

"As you command, Elder." Har replied, before she started to gather her things.

Cologne hopped out of the room and went down the hall to Shampoo's room. She would have to threaten the girl to make her talk it seemed, but that prospect didn't weigh heavily on her mind. The elder had given her every chance to talk of her own free will.

Arriving at the room, Cologne entered without bothering to knock. Shampoo sat up from her bed like a shot, eyeing the old woman with a mix of fear and respect. By the look in the Elder's eye, the kid gloves were coming off and the elder would be ruthless in her attempts to extract the information.

She could only hope Ranma wouldn't hate her for what was to come.

- - -

Home, he was finally home. He was gone for only a short time, but it felt like an eternity to Soun. He missed it all, his daughters, his old friend, and even the loudmouth boy who disrupted everything that short month or so ago.

He set his bags on the porch and stretched, working the kinks out after the long march home. The training trip served its purpose nicely, as he felt more in shape than he had in years. Training with Shampoo had been worth it, meeting her Great-Grandmother was intriguing.

Though, he had to wonder what all this signified.

As he was contemplating all of this, the jogging trio had returned from their run. They were discussing a few things about what Ryoga had said, as it was the freshest subject on all their minds. They couldn't make heads or tails of what they were supposed to do about Haircare, or any other Amazon for that matter.

Ranma wished his rival hadn't forgotten all the details, as it would be easier to classify this Amazon as a threat or not. But he couldn't change what had happened, so he quietly filed the name away to the potential threat grouping. Lifting his head, Ranma could scarcely believe who he was seeing on the front porch.

"Tendo-san! You're back!" he called, waving at the Tendo patriarch.

"Oh, hello Ranma, girls." Soun said, waving back.

"Welcome home Daddy." the sisters chorused, smiling slightly.

"I see you've decided to start training again Nabiki." their father replied, smiling at the two of them.

"Yeah, considering everything that's happen, I want to be able to get myself out of a few situation." she said, explaining her reason.

"That's good. How about after dinner, I give you a few pointers?" he offered, looking over at Akane and the unspoken question in her eyes. "That goes for the both of you."

"That'd be great Daddy." Nabiki enthused, before coming forward to give him a hug.

Ranma turned his head at a crying sound, spotting his father in panda form crying while holding aloft a sign.

"The love between a father and his child is so touching." he said, reading it aloud. "Aw, pop, I always knew you were a big softie at heart."

Then he hopped off the porch, chased by the scandalized panda.

"Those two," Akane said in mock exasperation, before turning and heading inside.

- - -

At the Kuno Mansion, Kodachi was tending to her black roses, humming a toneless ditty. She was oddly at rest with herself after the vicious beating she had laid upon those clowns. Of course, she had done nothing that she could think of to cause them to attack her.

For once, she was completely innocent when she had been accosted by a group of enemies. If she were anything other girl, the clowns would have surely pummeled her into submission. If she had been a certain kind of girl, she might have enjoyed such a thing.

But she was the Black Rose, she was no mere girl for some stupid thug to accost for his jollies.

She had beaten the leader of the clowns mercilessly, beyond what she would do to her most hated enemy. The snap of her ribbon, the slap of it against flesh echoed through her ears, filling her with a slight trill of pleasure. It was the same trill she got from defeating every other foe.

Plucking a rose, she held it before her as though a weapon. Unmindful of the thorns, she tightened her grasps on the flower, before spinning and throwing it at a tree. Remarkably, the rose pierced the trunk and embedded itself there.

The Black Rose was getting stronger, her skills growing by the day.

Her right hand, the one she had hurled the rose with, raised up to eye level. It was bleeding slightly from the thorns, particularly her right index finger. Swiftly, the injured digit found its way into her mouth, quelling the blood loss.

Using the black roses in such a manner could be useful in the future, so she decided that she would explore other ways of using them in battle. Besides being the foundation for her many powders, the black roses symbolized her a woman. A beautiful, exotic package wrapped in mystery, an object of tantalizing intrigue.

She wouldn't have it any other way.

Ah, how she longed to hold Ranma close, how she longed to feel his gentle touch. How ever did such a he-man like him resist her obvious charms? The pig-tailed harlot flashed through her mind, a frown crawling across her lips as the implication set in.

It had to be her, the silly girl who though she could steal her darling Ranma's name. Oh how she hated that girl, the nasty little witch who had defeated her, ruining her spotless record. One day, she silently vowed, one day she would make that harlot pay for all her crimes.

Then, and only then would Ranma be able to freely express his love for her.

- - -

"This is the place?" Cologne asked early the next morning as they stopped outside the Tendo compound's front gate.

"Yes, this it." answered a dejected Shampoo, her head down.

"Good, good, now to see the former groom." the matron cackled as she leaped atop the nearest wall.

The old woman surveyed the yard, taking note of every nuance that permeated what was to be her battleground. Her mind was firmly set that she was going to enjoy her vacation away from the village and its damnable politics. At this moment, she could care less about some old Kiss law or what not.

If Shampoo had returned to Joketsuzoku wanting her help to nab an errant husband, she would uphold that law with all her being. But her great-granddaughter didn't want to marry him, didn't want to live up to the heritage she had once claim to love more than life. The boy who had the unfortunate luck of defeating her would have to beg the deities above for mercy, for she would have none.

Today, a snot nosed punk was fixing to get the beat down of a lifetime.

Speaking of said punk, he was relaxing on the porch of the Tendo home, listening to Akane and Nabiki train with their father. By this time next week, the dojo would have students, all eager to learn the Art in any portion that would be given. The thought of those students made him want to grow older faster, so he could spread one of his greatest loves to another generation.

It was his life, had been for sixteen years. The sudden shift from wandering vagrant to engaged was a bit much for him to take in at first. But it was that understanding he got from the Tendo patriarch that allowed him to finally see the engagement for what it really was.

An opportunity to find the woman who may one day give birth to his own heir.

He was a klutz when it came to girls, even he would admit that to select company. The awkwardness he felt when he tried to handle their affection was embarrassing. How he was raised was nothing more than an excuse, as he could have easily started thinking about girls and finding out what he liked in them.

Being a good cook, while it wouldn't hurt, only came in about third on his list of qualities he liked in a girl. Looks, he felt, were overrated, and as such didn't really consider them seriously. While he wasn't sure what his favorite quality in a girl was, he did know that they had to be real to him.

There was no way he'd marry a girl who couldn't make decisions for herself.

But marriage, while he believed it a wonderful thing, was far away in his future. He had plenty of time, in his mind, to find and fall in love. Though, a small part of him did speak up to broach the possibility that he had already found it in one of the two sisters that seemed to be vying for his attention.

Ranma looked over when he heard a thump, seeing his father sit down in a huff. Though he was a not a panda, it was obvious he had been tossed out of the house for trying to steal breakfast early. While it wasn't the most endearing trait to posses, Ranma simply grinned as it was how his father always was.

"Go caught again pop?" the Saotome heir said, resettling himself a bit.

"I don't know she does it," the elder Saotome grumbled, "It's like she has some sort of sixth sense about that kitchen."

"Ha!" Ranma laughed, before stopping as the hair on his neck stood up. 'Danger!'

Quickly, he rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the pointed end of a staff that would have embedded itself in his chest. Looking up, he gagged at the sight of the THING riding atop it. Getting to his feet, he eyed the being warily.

"I must admit," the thing rasped, "you must be pretty skilled to dodge that."

"Who, scratch that, WHAT are you?" the boy asked, trying not to shudder at the sound of her voice.

"Who am I?" the shriveled mummy asked, before bursting into a flurry of action to knock Genma away, returning to her perch afterwards. "I am Khu Lon of Joketsuzoku, and I HATE you."

"W-what did I do to you?" Ranma said, hiding his nervousness at her casual dismissal of his father.

"You defeated my great-granddaughter, and by some force of the universe, she doesn't want to claim you as her husband." Cologne replied, hopping back to stand on her legs and take a stance with her staff. "In case you haven't guessed, I'm her Great-Grandmother."

"Isn't that her choice?" he asked, annoyed now at this thing. "And don't you have little kids to scare?"

"Sonny boy," she said with a croaking laugh, "when you hit my age, anything under sixty is a kid to you."

"So what do you want? Me to meekly apologize and marry her against her will?" the boy demanded, feeling something familiar about this situation.

"Marry her?" the withered husk scoffed, "I don't care about that. I came all the way from China to beat the daylights out of you."

"You'll find that a tough proposition you old hag!" the Saotome heir proclaimed, taking a fighting stance.

"Less talk and more action, little boy!" she replied, rushing forward with a thrust from her staff.

The battle quickly left the porch as the two battled all over the yard, exchanging swings at top speed. Cologne pressed her less experienced opponent, baiting him with feints and cunning parries as she controlled the pace of the fight. Ranma gave more ground than he gained, finding himself up against a foe of greater speed and skill. He had let his guard down for a second and received a sharp poke to the chest area for his lack of concentration.

But that wouldn't deter the Saotome heir as he sought to find a hole in her pattern and seize control of the fight. Either it would on its own, or he would make it happen, it was just what he did. Finally spotting his chance, Ranma snagged the staff and threw it, Cologne and all, at one of the walls.

He was shocked when she simply stopped herself at the wall by poking her staff into it.

"Nice, ex-groom." she complemented, springing down to the ground as he landed across from her. "But let's see how you handle this!"

Ranma was caught off guard as the old woman began circling him and seemed to split into four separate images. He had a tough time dodging, her staff impacting hard against his guard. He couldn't locate her, and as such, every counterattack he tried simply passed through one of the images.

'This isn't good,' he thought, just barely saving his knee from being smashed. 'I can't find her, and she's moving too fast for me to find her pattern.'

"Give in to the inevitable boy, you were beaten before this fight began." she taunted, continuing her prodding attacks. "You were a hundred years too early to think of standing against me!"

"Grr, I don't give up!" he shouted back at the circling woman. "And if you think it's over, you're growing senile old hag!"

With that, he made a daring leap and escaped the circle. Focusing himself, he started to rush back towards the house. As he sped along, he took note that all four images were following him.

'So it wasn't the speed of her circling tricking my eyes.' he silently noted as he reached the house and flung open the door.

'What's he up to?' the old woman thought to herself, slowing her pursuit a tad. 'Is he going to get a weapon?'

"Sorry Kasumi," Ranma called over his shoulder as he came back outside, "but I need this rice ball."

"That's fine, but you're getting one less for breakfast." called the eldest Tendo sister.

'Oh man,' he mentally groaned, before he steeled himself back to the fight. "Catch!" With that, he threw the rice ball at the old woman and her copies.

To his shock, three of the Colognes disappeared as one sprang up to catch the snack.

'So that's it,' he thought, 'that technique requires a lot of focus.'

"My compliments to the chef," the Elder said, finishing off the snack in seconds. "But feeding me won't stay my hand from beating you."

"Hah, I'd think less of you if that did stop you." he shot back, taking up a loose stance. 'Now let's see if what I learned from those scrolls paid off.'

"Hmm! Now this is interesting," Cologne said with false curiosity as the boy began glowing yellow to her. 'Must be an elemental balance technique, but he hasn't mastered it, as there's no visual glow.'

'Okay, here goes!' Ranma silently commanded, before shooting towards the Amazon with blazing speed. 'Blow like the wind!'

THWACK!

"Nice try, child, very nice. If I was anyone else, that would have worked." Cologne said simply, having sidestepped the blow and blocked with her staff.

"H-how?" Ranma gasped, his arm held in place be fear and the staff resting against it. 'She shouldn't have been able to see me!'

"Boy, I've seen the rise and fall of well over a hundred years, you think I haven't run into someone using elemental chi to fight?" she answered, removing her staff and allowing him to stumble back.

'Just my luck,' he bemoaned silently, 'And that took a lot out of me, I better find a way to win soon.'

"I take back what I said earlier." she continued, twirling her staff like a baton before pointing it at Ranma. "It's a hundred and fifty years too soon for you to face me."

"What?" he growled, the insult stabbing straight to the heart of his pride.

"Only a fool would use a technique they haven't mastered yet." she replied, twisting the verbal dagger for all its worth.

"Grr, don't be so arrogant." he snapped back, recovering from his shock to take a ready stance. "Or else I'll bridge a hundred and fifty years right before your eyes!"

"A threat, from you?" she cackled, enjoying the battle despite all the harshness of it. "That's like an ant threatening a giant!"

"Grr," he said, gritting his teeth. "DON'T TAKE ME SO LIGHTLY!"

'Ah ha, now he's unconsciously channeling fire.' she noted, backing off in faux fear.

"I'll show you!" he bellowed, rushing forward with an uncontrolled punch combo that pushed the arrogant elder back.

'A natural affinity towards fire, fitting for one such as him.' she thought, thinking of all the chaos this boy had caused.

"What's wrong? No snappy come back?" he taunted, weaving kicks into his attack.

"Coming from someone who hasn't hit me yet, that's awfully big talk." she countered, thrusting the end of her staff at him.

The boy quickly grabbed the end of the staff and more hurled the elder, staff and all, through the air. The old woman again landed gracefully, as if to show she allowed him to throw her. She stared him down, before glancing around.

'He'll burn out soon, ending out little challenge. I don't feel like winning by default, so I have to find a way to bet him first.' she continued to scan the area, a plan slowly forming in her head.

"Huff huff, come on!" he yelled, motioning her on with a wave of his hand.

'Ah ha! That pond. I've already hit that spot too, it should be setting in soon.' she crowed internally, plan now fully formed. "It's been amusing pummeling you boy, but I am a busy woman. Places to go, children to scare, people to see, things like that. I'm afraid I'll have to beat you now."

"Hah, bring it old hag." Ranma said back, his breath coming back.

"And bring it I shall!" she yelled, leaping from the porch towards the pond.

"What the-" he started, but was cut off by a jet of cold water, triggering his curse.

"Why hello there, miss traveler," the old ghoul enthused, "so nice of you to join us."

"You old bag!" the red-haired girl shrieked, before wildly charging the old ghoul.

"Dear me, the poor boy can't stand the change. Aye, a pity she's so pretty." the old woman joked, hopping back towards the house. "I'm borrowing this." With that, she took the piping hot kettle off the stove.

"Argh, you old bitty! What do you think you're doing!?" the girl, still indignant over what happened, sputtered from the yard.

"Kekekekekekeke," she cackled, "I should be ashamed for doing this, but he is but a fool."

"What are you blathering about now?" the redhead shouted , starting to charge at the tittering old woman.

"Just this!" the old woman shouted, bounding over the redhead and dumping the still boiling water on her.

"Eyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!" Ranma's scream of sheer pain ripped apart the morning sky.

When the Tendos rushed from their house to see what had transpired, they found Ranma in a puddle of still hot water writhing in agony. Before they could move, they were held in place by two things, a mournful looking Shampoo and a laughing old woman.

"Ranma!" Nabiki and Akane yelled simultaneously.

"Shampoo," the old woman said evenly. "Say your goodbyes and come along."

"Yes, Great-Grandmother." the girl replied absently, head still down as Cologne bounced away.

The Tendos, getting over their collective shock, rushed down and checked on Ranma. As Soun and Kasumi gently move him back towards the house, Nabiki and Akane approached Shampoo with caution. They didn't know what happened, but they decided to be certain that Shampoo would do something bad.

"Shampoo," Nabiki started softly, reaching out for the mournful girl with a comforting hand.

"Is all Shampoo fault," the Chinese girl whispered, a few tears falling now.

"What's your fault?" Akane asked in confusion.

"Shampoo too-too weak!" Shampoo wailed, collapsing to her knees and sobbing in earnest. "No could stand up to Great-Grandmother, no can help or even warn friend Ranma about her. And look what happen!"

"Hey now, hush." Nabiki said, trying to sooth the crying girl while placing a hand on her shoulder "Ranma's gonna be fine, okay? He'll make it through this."

"Nabiki's right, Shampoo," Akane added, placing her own comforting hand on Shampoo's other shoulder.

"Ranma… hic Ranma forgive Shampoo for ratting out?" Shampoo asked hopefully, her tears still coming though her sobbing had slowed.

"Of course he will, we'll make sure he understands you had no choice in telling on him." Akane said, surprising her older sister. "Right sis?"

"Right, leave it to us." the middle Tendo said with a grin.

"Thank you. You tell Ranma Shampoo very sorry, yes? Tell him that she never meant for him to be hurt?" the former Amazon said, wiping her tears away.

"I promise." Nabiki said, smiling and hooking an arm around the younger girl's shoulders. "Why not let anego take care of things aibo?"

"Yes, Shampoo do that anego." the younger girl nodded, before extracting herself from the embrace. "Until later, you two."

The girl quickly left.

"Anego huh?" Akane asked, her eyes narrow. "What are you, an amateur Yakuza?"

"Oh please, let me have some fun." Nabiki said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, we need to check on Ranma…"

"You're right…"

With that, the two headed inside.

End Chapter 13

Anego older sister Aibo partner, companion, friend, chum pal buddy

Teaser for chapter 14:

"What, what happened?" Ranma asked, sitting up from her place on the table.

"The Tendos brought you here after you fainted, Ranma." Tofu answered, looking over the girl for any burns or other injuries.

"I fainted… that old ghoul!" she cried, before looking over herself. "I-I'm not burned!"

"No, why would you be?" the doctor asked, curious at the girl's strange behavior.

"I thought she set me on fire!" Ranma exclaimed, "It felt like my flesh was a roaring inferno."

"Interesting," Tofu mused, rubbing his chin. "I think I know what happened."

"Yes Doc?" she asked hopefully.

"This must be the dreaded full body cat's tongue shiatsu point!" the doctor said dramatically, clenching his hand into a tight fist.

"Cat's tongue?"

Author Note: Finished another one, and all apologies to Kubo Tite and my use of Pseudo Japanese. And if you feel Cologne is being overtly menancing here, it's because she isn't in the mood to play around, as you'll later see. See soon for chapter 14 hopefully!


	14. Sealed Manhood

-1Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is not mine, it's Rumiko Takahashi's. So please, don't sue me.

Author note: Chapter 14, as we start the beginning of Cologne's bizarre revenge on Ranma. There may be a few surprises in store for you in this chapter, so watch out.

First I Giveth

Chapter 14 Sealed Manhood

By Marik Kurakashi

Mu Tsu, or Mousse as some of the backwards Japanese had called him when he told them his name, arrived at the abandon Chinese restaurant with Har as an escort. He had never really liked much about the brunette girl, but apparently, Elder Khu Lon had sent her to fetch him. What the old mummy wanted with him was beyond his reasoning, but he didn't really care.

Xian Pu, his only love, was somewhere out there in this mixed-up country. While he had no doubts of Xian's ability to defend herself, he simply wanted to find whoever had defeated her and pummel him within an inch of his life. The base villain who would defile such loveliness would meet the most brutal of ends, courtesy of the Master of Hidden Weapons.

That was the only thing he could do now, to make up for being kidnapped.

"So Mu Tsu," Har said as the long haired boy took a seat at an empty table. "I see you managed to avoid getting kidnapped again."

"And I see you're still in the Elder's doghouse." he retorted, ignoring the jab.

"How… how do you know that?" the girl demanded, flustered by his accurate guess.

"You're a warrior Har," he explained, not exactly looking at her because his glasses were off. "And you're used as an errand girl to find me, when the Elder would have done it herself if she "really wanted to talk to me"."

"So that's your reasoning? HA!" Har scoffed, coming over to get in his face. "What would a male like you know?"

"A lot more than you, idiotic girl." came Cologne's raspy voice as she entered the restaurant. "Nice to see you well, Mu Tsu."

"Old mummy," he said with a dismissive sniff, earning him a harsh glare.

"It is fortunate that I want you in good health, or else I would beat the tar out of you." the old mummy said back tersely. "But I have plans for he who beat Shampoo."

"You mean you know who he is!" the myopic boy shouted, standing up and glaring at Har, grabbing the front of her dress.

"Not me you idiot, put your glasses on!" Har shouted back, shirking away from him somewhat.

"Oh, it's you," Mousse said simply, before nonchalantly tossing her across the room. "So Elder, what plans do you have for this foul person?"

"Come with me to the back room, we have much to discuss as we wait for Shampoo's father to arrive." the Elder said, hopping towards said room, with Mousse following along.

"Gah, that jerk." Har mumbled, her face embedded in the wall. "He's lucky that didn't."

"Shampoo back." came a voice.

"Oh great, the bimbo's back." the wall planted girl groaned too loudly.

"BIMBO!" Shampoo screamed, pulling out one of her bonbori. "Who you calling bimbo?"

"You, you bimbo." Har replied, pulling herself out of the wall and turning to face Shampoo.

"Argh!" Shampoo shouted, charging the still disoriented girl and braining her on top of the head with her weapon. "If Shampoo bimbo, Haircare is queen of bimbos!" She accentuated her point by kicking the downed girl in the ribs, before storming off to the back.

"That… didn't… hurt…" Har wheezed, her face embedded in the floor.

- - -

After Ranma's near boiling alive, the Tendos had treated him as much as they could, before taking him to see the good Doctor Tofu. After managing to get Ranma's body temp down without him going into shock, Tofu sent them home to prevent them from worrying too much. As it were, he was simply waiting for Ranma to wake up and explain what happened.

Since none of the Tendos really saw the battle between the old lady and the Saotome heir, they couldn't tell him how Ranma got like this. He had a few theories, but nothing solid enough to tell the Tendos to allay their fears. He noted the particular concern of both Akane and Nabiki, as well as the peculiar absence of Genma.

Meanwhile, still on the front porch and forgotten about, Genma snored, still unconscious from the hit he took.

"What, what happened?" Ranma asked, sitting up from her place on the table.

"The Tendos brought you here after you fainted, Ranma." Tofu answered, looking over the girl for any burns or other injuries.

"I fainted… that old ghoul!" she cried, before looking over herself. "I-I'm not burned!"

"No, why would you be?" the doctor asked, curious at the girl's strange behavior.

"I thought she set me on fire!" Ranma exclaimed, "It felt like my flesh was a roaring inferno."

"Interesting," Tofu mused, rubbing his chin. "I think I know what happened."

"Yes Doc?" she asked hopefully.

"This must be the dreaded full body cat's tongue shiatsu point!" the doctor said dramatically, clenching his hand into a tight fist.

"Cat's tongue?" she asked, not comprehending it.

"The full body cat's tongue is a shiatsu point that renders the entire body sensitive to heat, like its name suggests." he said, shaking his head.

"And that means…" Ranma asked, fear dripping from her voice.

"That means, that all water that is warm enough to deactivate your curse will cause you to feel like it's boiling." the doctor answered, closing his eyes and hanging his head.

"You… you mean…" the redhead uttered bleakly.

"Yes, that until the cat's tongue is turned off, your manhood is effectively sealed away." Tofu said gravely.

Ranma, being the tough martial artist she is, promptly fainted dead away.

- - -

Meanwhile, up in the Hida Mountains, something evil was awakening. A terrifying ancient evil that had been sealed away long ago. The storm was ranging for hours, as if the heavens themselves were frightened by the terror this evil could unleash.

A stroke of lightning started the horrifying event. Soon, cracks ran all over the boulder that covered the cave opening. In mere seconds, the boulder crumbled to dust.

Then the evil was free!

From its former prison the evil crawled. Raising its head slightly, the evil took in the fresh air, slowly revitalizing himself. Soon, it drew itself to its feet and looked down from the mountain that held it captive for oh so long.

So much for it to do, that it couldn't decide what to do first. Slowly, the evil started its way down the mountain. As it went down, the evil tried to remember what happened to it. But all the remembering apparently caused the evil to feel drowsy.

And soon, it fell asleep again.

- - -

Back at the Tendo dojo, the family was busying themselves and waited fir Ranma to return from the doctor's. Kasumi was trying to keep her two sisters calm, as both seemed a bit agitated by all of this latest development. As the eldest sister poured some tea, the sound of the front door alerted them to someone's arrival.

"I'm home," Ranma called, sounding deflated.

"Ranma!" came the calls from within the house, soon followed by the stampeding of feet.

"Ranma! You're back!" Akane exclaimed, coming to a stop in front of the redhead.

"Are you okay now? What happened? What did Dr. Tofu say?" Nabiki asked rapid fire, resisting the urge to start shaking the girl in front of her.

"Whoa! Whoa! Slow down." Ranma said, waving her hands as if trying to fend off any more questions. "First off, I'm physically alright, secondly, I got hit with somethin' called the full body cat's tongue point."

"Cat's tongue?" Kasumi asked, leaning in herself to peer questioningly at the redhead.

"It's a shiatsu point. Makes my body super sensitive to heat." Ranma explained, slumping her shoulders.

"But if it make you super sensitive to heat…" Akane began, looking at her sisters in horror.

"Then you can't change back into a boy!" Nabiki finished, her own look of horror on her face.

"Yeah…" Ranma said bitterly, her posture slumping even more.

Silently, all three sisters nodded at each other, then quickly dragged the girl off to the living room for a bit of a talk about what to do. Soun, who had been standing, slumped against the wall, feeling extremely upset at what had happened to his future son-in-law. If he had thought about it, he would have mentioned meeting the old woman and warned Ranma of her.

Outside, a masked girl landed on the porch. Immediately, she took noticed of the bald man on the porch and quickly picked him up. Carrying his bulk with her, she quickly went over to the door and very gently knocked on the door.

"Who could that be?" Soun asked as he went to answer the door. Opening the door, he was greeted by a girl carrying Genma on her shoulders. "Ah, Saotome! I wondered where he disappeared to."

"Can come in? He heavy." the girl asked as politely as she could.

"Of course, of course, and let me take him off your hands." Soun said, allowing Shampoo into the house and taking his old friend off her hands.

"Where Ranma?" she asked, stretching her shoulders out.

"In the living room with the girls." he answered, before going past her and out to the dojo to put up his old friend.

Upon her arrival to the living room, Shampoo was greeted by the animated chatter as all four girls argued about what to do. Her eyes narrowed in rage, an accusation playing through her mind. Finally shaking her anger clear, she stalked into the room and got everyone's attention.

"Shampoo know what to do!" she shouted, halting the talking as everyone quickly looked over at her.

"S-Shampoo?" Ranma asked, looking at her strangely. "What's with that get-up?"

"Shampoo sneak here to tell Ranma important information. Disguise in case Haircare come looking." the now masked girl explained, coming over to sit down with them.

"So what do we do, aibo?" Nabiki asked, looking quickly from Ranma to Shampoo real fast.

"We do nothing, anego. However, Great-Grandmother decide have mercy on Ranma and allow him to try for Phoenix Pill." the purple haired girl said, looking around the circle.

"Phoenix pill?" Ranma asked, not comprehending.

"Well, the phoenix is a firebird, said to be the king of heat resistance." Akane explained, nodding along.

"So this pill…" Kasumi started, looking over at Ranma who was slowly comprehending what was going on.

"…will allow me to withstand hot water again!" Ranma finished, before impulsively giving Shampoo a friendly hug.

Both Akane and Nabiki fight down the urge to get mad at Ranma's sudden display of affection for Shampoo. After all, neither of them had curses that changed them from girls to boys. And they certainly couldn't comprehend being stuck forever in that foreign body.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Ranma said, nearly crying with joy before releasing Shampoo and quickly wiping her eyes to make sure she wasn't crying.

"Oh Ranma, I'm so happy for you!" Akane said, a big smile on her face.

"T-thanks Akane. That means a lot." the girl in question said, smiling brightly at the girl in question.

Akane kept the smile on her face, belying the internal turmoil as she felt slightly giddy at the response she had gotten.

"Don't forget to have a plan other than run to where the old woman is and start screaming for the pill." Nabiki added, trying hard not to sound like she was raining on the cursed boy's parade,

"Yeah, I suppose I better think this out," Ranma said, her smile not wavering even in the face of this news.

"Shall we get to planning then?" Kasumi asked, before she got up. "I'm sure a quick snack will help the planning."

"Thanks Kasumi," everyone chorused before they huddled up and started planning for Ranma's challenge.

- - -

"The Nekohaten?" Nabiki read aloud as she and Akane approached the Chinese restaurant as their plan called for.

"What a weird name," Akane said, nodding her head in agreement.

Both girls headed inside and were greeted by a brown hair girl who strikingly dissimilar to Shampoo.

"Hi, welcome to the Nekohaten." the girl said with false enthusiasm. 'Stupid Xian, sneaking off and leaving me to be the waitress.'

"Uh, hi. We were passing through and saw the offer for a free bowel of Ramen?" Nabiki said, making sure to remember what this girl looked like.

"Ah, yeah. Come have a seat and I'll bring it to you." Har said, gesturing towards an empty table.

Both Tendo sisters had a seat and waited for their bowls. Once she was sure no one was watching, Akane quickly went to the window and flashed a gesture out it. Afterwards she finished, simply hurried back to her seat so as to not draw any undue attention to herself.

'Alright, there's the signal.' Ranma said, approaching the Nekohaten and slipping in.

"Here's your ramen!" Har said, setting the bowls on the table, before handing over their chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu!" the girls chorused, digging in.

'Okay, just slip around here and maybe I can find that pill without having to fight that ghoul.' Ranma thought, trying her best to avoid being seen. 'Not that I'm afraid, but the girls have a point. If I fight her, she could easily dump hot water on me to get rid of me.'

"Hmm," Cologne said, looking out at the two girls in the lobby from the kitchen. 'Those girls look familiar, which means…'

'Ok, almost to the back, just a bit more now.' Ranma thought, creeping along further.

'The ex-groom is either wiser than I thought,' Cologne thought, looking off in the direction she now felt Ranma creeping along, before looking back at the girls. 'Or he has some very good help.'

'Alright, I made it.' Ranma thought jubilantly to herself, looking around. 'Now if I were a dried up mummy, where would I keep that pill when I'm not wearing it?'

"Very impressive, ex-groom." Cologne called, standing atop her cane in front another door into the back area. "I must admit that I thought you would come charging in here after Shampoo told you about the Phoenix Pill."

"H-how do you know that?" the redhead sputtered, eyeing the locket that hung from the old ghoul's neck.

"I figured she snuck out to tell when I was ready to open up the restaurant for a bit." Cologne answered, before laughing. "Though, I am happy she did, as I get to mess with that idiot Haircare some more."

"Haircare? You mean that waitress girl?" Ranma asked in confusion, scratching her head slightly. "Why do you keep her around if you don't like her?"

"Because while we do have a laws about killing, I will point out that most were from over three thousand years ago." the old ghoul said, not missing the implication that all Amazons were bloodthirsty killers.

"Oh." the redhead responded, awed somewhat by the magnitude of the Amazons' existence.

"I suppose you want this," Cologne said, raising the locket before jangling it a bit at Ranma.

"Grr," came the expected reply, before the girl did something unexpected by bowing slightly. "I bear you no ill will, but being stuck as this is punishment enough. Can you please not splash me with boiling water again?"

'Hmm, those girls must have coached him well for him to swallow his pride like this.' Cologne silently mused, before grinning. "I guess that won't hurt anything."

"Then here I come old ghoul!" Ranma shouted, rushing at the old woman, trying to snatch the locket.

And thus began a rather raucous scramble for the locket. No matter how hard Ranma tried, she just couldn't get the locket from the old woman. She tried her best to endure the hard cane strikes she was taking, but this body wasn't as durable as her male half.

"Toh!" Ranma called, throwing a hard right spin kick at the ghoul, trying to seize the pace of the fight so she could better predict her opponent's moves.

"Hah!" Cologne responded, flipping her staff into the attacking leg and stopping it cold.

"That won't stop me!" Ranma yelled, pressing her right leg against the staff and using it to push herself into position for a left roundhouse aimed at her foe's head.

"Useless!" the old woman yelled back, ducking the kick and allowing the girl to fly past out of control.

"Fat lot you know!" the girl retorted, stopping herself and bolting back at the old woman, hand stretched out to take the locket.

'She's fast!' the old woman silently exclaimed before falling all the way onto her back and jabbing Ranma hard in the ribs.

The redhead bounced of the ground, and lay still for a second before bounding back to her feet.

'I didn't notice it before, but she's unconsciously channeling wind ki.' Cologne thought warily, measuring her opponent. 'The wear out factor isn't as great as fire, so she should be able to do it longer. Maybe this plan of mine will bear a sweeter fruit than I had intended.'

"Not bad, old bag." Ranma huffed, rubbing her ribs. "But that isn't close to what you wanted to use."

"What are you babbling about, fool?" the old woman snapped, pushing everything else from her mind.

"You could've knocked me through the ceiling if you wanted to." the redhead explained, taking a few deep breaths. "I guess this shop is important to you."

"Mm, you could put it like that ex-groom." Cologne said neutrally. "Now come! I will never let you have this locket!"

"Your funeral granny!" the girl yelled back, taking a stance. "I'm taking that pill and there's nothing you can do about it!" Ranma once more rushed at her foe.

"We shall see, ex-groom!" Cologne retorted, dodging the rush and starting the dance once more.

- - -

"What's going on back there?" Har asked, turning to look in that direction and missing the concerned looks on her two "customers' " faces.

"It isn't any of my business." Nabiki said, draining the soup from her bowl, winking at her sister to show she didn't mean it.

"Yeah, we're just here for the noodles really." Akane said offhandedly, also turning her attention back to the bowl.

"Grr," Har snarled, storming towards the back. 'Glutinous outsiders, like a bunch of wild pigs in clothes.'

She only got the door open and her head part way through before she took a stray kick to the face and was send backwards.

"Gah!" she cried, clutching her face as she staggered backwards. 'What the hell was that?'

"It's taking Ranma too long," Nabiki whispered to Akane.

"Yeah, and that worries me." Akane whispered back, a pensive look on her face.

"Don't worry Akane, even if Ranma doesn't get it today, it doesn't mean he won't get it tomorrow." the older sister whispered, trying to allay her sibling's fears.

"You're right, I should have more faith." Akane whispered, looking away.

'She's gotten rather… moody as of late,' Nabiki observed, 'She's probably confused over my new found interest in Ranma.' Nabiki shook her head and looked back at the waitress trying to stand up straight.

"Whoever kicked me is dead!" she hissed, pulling her shotels from weapon space and going through the door again.

"Haircare?" the old ghoul asked, swatting away Ranma and looking at her less than intelligent apprentice.

"Out of the way Elder!" she said, approaching the struggling girl with her shotels. "It is my duty to be rid of outsiders who dare attack you."

"You, young whelp." Cologne replied before zipping forward and disarming her in the blink of an eye. "Who are **you** to lecture **me** on duty?"

"But Elder!" the part time waitress exclaimed, stamping her foot. "Why do you insist on dirtying your hands with a filthy dog like her!"

"Ha ha ha!" the old woman laughed, shaking her head.

"What's so funny?" Ranma asked confused that the old woman saved her. She finally climbed back to her feet.

"Consider the fact that both her parents are converted outsiders, and you'll see the humor." the old ghoul said, drawing an enraged look from the brown haired girl in question. "And the even bigger kicker is the fact that they were Japanese too!"

"Do you exist just to mock me!" Har screamed, clenching her fists together. "Why must that always hang over my head!"

"Because you let it bother you." Cologne answered back, "There's no point in teasing someone if they're not bother by the jab."

"This is all fascinating, but…" Ranma said, before zipping over to kick Har back out front without damaging the door. "…I'm here for the pill."

"Now that's the spirit ex-groom." Cologne said, taking a fighting stance. "Now where were we?"

"I was about to take that pill from you!" the redhead shouted, rushing at the old woman once again.

"In your dreams, sonny!" the old mummy retorted, swinging her staff to cut off the rush.

- - -

"That's how you want it," Har grumbled as she picked herself off the floor, bolting for the kitchen, quickly finding a pot and filling it with water. She then put it on the stove to get it to boil.

"I guess they took care of her." Nabiki commented on the waitress' furious movements.

"She doesn't look like she's up to any good." Akane added, nodding her head in assent to Nabiki's assessment.

"We better keep an eye on her then." Nabiki answered, looking towards the kitchen. "I think she may be boiling water."

"Oooo," Akane growled, clinching her fists. "She better not try anything like pour it on Ranma!"

"Indeed."

No sooner did they speak of Ranma did said girl come flying out of the back and landing 2 meters from them. Both girls resisted the urge to rush over to him, as they correctly guessed the old woman would be following the redhead. As Ranma struggled uselessly on the floor, Cologne covertly studied the two girls seated at the table.

'I see, they're trying not to show that they're helping him. If he has girls like these to help him, he just may do better for himself in future engagements.' Cologne thought, silently gleaning information on the two. 'By position and posture, the brunette is older, and by ki feel, they're sisters. Hmm, they match someone I've felt before.'

"Ha, let's see you do anything like that again after this!" Har shouted, charging out of the kitchen and around the counter with a pot of boiling water.

She raised the pot to dump it, but a bowl bounced off the side of her head.

"Nabiki!" Akane said in shock, looking at her sister in wonderment.

"Don't. you. Dare!" the named girl said through gritted teeth.

"N-Nabiki…" Ranma whispered, in amazement.

"Why you!" Har started, before a staff tipped the water over onto her. "Gah!"

"You be quiet." Cologne said, bashing the impudent girl in the face, sending her over the counter and into dreamland.

"Honored Elder," Nabiki said, drawing the old woman's attention. "It's apparent Ranma can't fight anymore, how about letting him go home and rest up for his try tomorrow?"

"Nabiki…" the girl on floor wheezed out, "I can… still… fight…"

"Mm, I see what you mean." Cologne said, turning her back to them. "I look forward to your challenges ex-groom. Don't disappoint me."

"Ah, sure." Ranma said, still trying to get up.

"Here, allow me." Nabiki said, dragging up into a sitting position, before crossing the girl's arms around her neck and hefting her up piggyback style. "Come on Akane, let's go home."

"I could carry him," Akane said tersely, storming ahead of her sister.

"What's her problem?" Ranma mumbled, trying to stay awake.

"Probably afraid that you'll fall in love with me for carrying you home." Nabiki joked, heading out the door. "Besides, I guess this can be training for me."

"Yeah… Hey, Nabiki?" Ranma asked as they headed back towards the dojo at a brisk pace.

"What?" Nabiki asked, humming a slight tune to herself.

"Thanks, for helping out back there." the redhead said faintly, before resting her head on the older girl's shoulder.

"Hey, what are friends for?" Nabiki asked back rhetorically, continuing humming as she continued walking.

'Friends,' Ranma thought with a frown, 'why does that make me feel kinda empty inside?'

End Chapter 14

Teaser for Chapter 15:

It was morning at the Tendo dojo, which usually meant a bustling of activity. This morning, however, was muted because Ranma was still recovering from the beating she had taken at the hands of Cologne the previous day.

"Good morning Ranma-chan," Kasumi greeted the redhead as she sat down shakily at the table.

"Morning Kasumi-san." Ranma muttered, looking slightly frayed.

"What's the matter boy?" Genma asked, having canceled the morning spar after a bit of "persuasion" by Soun.

"Tired is all." the girl said plainly, popping her neck nonchalantly. "I got wore out by that old bitty."

"Well, try to relax today Ranma. Tofu's already give you a note to stay home from school today." Soun put it, as Nabiki and Akane joined the table dressed for school.

"Don't worry Ranma," Nabiki said, looking at the frazzled redhead, "Akane and I will come up with a different plan for you today, one that will hopefully not get you pummeled into submission."

"Yeah, you just rest up and leave it to us for now." Akane added, staring at the redhead with a measured look.

Author note: Another chapter down, and so many more to come. Cologne gives Ranma a shot at the Phoenix Pill mainly because it gives her more opportunities to pound Ranma into submission, as you saw in this chapter. How will he trigger the neko-ken later? Well, THAT… is a secret. And you might wonder why Cologne hates Haircare so much? Because I don't want her becoming a Shampoo clone, where she does everything canon Shampoo does, minus the lusting after Ranma. Later.


	15. Candidate for Manhood

-1Disclaimer: Ranma ½ isn't mine, this story is not being made for profit. Please don't sue.

Author note: Chapter 15 is here, bringing with it more of Ranma's quest to get the phoenix pill and other such goodies.

First I Giveth

Chapter 15 Candidate for Manhood

By Marik Kurakashi

It was morning at the Tendo dojo, which usually meant a bustling of activity. This morning, however, was muted because Ranma was still recovering from the beating she had taken at the hands of Cologne the previous day.

"Good morning Ranma-chan," Kasumi greeted the redhead as she sat down shakily at the table.

"Morning Kasumi-san." Ranma muttered, looking slightly frayed.

"What's the matter boy?" Genma asked, having canceled the morning spar after a bit of "persuasion" by Soun.

"Tired is all." the girl said plainly, popping her neck nonchalantly. "I got wore out by that old bitty."

"Well, try to relax today Ranma. Tofu's already give you a note to stay home from school today." Soun put it, as Nabiki and Akane joined the table dressed for school.

"Don't worry Ranma," Nabiki said, looking at the frazzled redhead, "Akane and I will come up with a different plan for you today, one that will hopefully not get you pummeled into submission."

"Yeah, you just rest up and leave it to us for now." Akane added, staring at the redhead with a measured look.

"Okay." the girl replied half-heartedly, still seeming exhausted.

Kasumi came in and started serving breakfast. Everyone dug in, eating and chatting about things every so often. Pretty soon, Nabiki and Akane were saying their goodbyes, heading out for school.

Ranma felt bad, simply because she had been beaten so thoroughly. She had tried her hardest, and yet was turned aside at every step. The old ghoul had deflected her, controlled her movements, and had all but made Ranma fight the way the ghoul wanted her to.

It was almost more than she could take.

She wasn't used to the idea that there was someone that she couldn't even compete with, much less defeat. Sure, her father had often beat in sparring throughout the trip, but she had closed that gap as she grew older. Would she be stuck like this for another ten years before she finally got the darn pill?

That was what was truly terrifying to the Saotome heir. Being a man was deep down a part of what made her who she was. To be stuck like this would be like asking a fish to grow lungs so it could breath on land. It wasn't something she could just forget, just throw it away and embrace a new persona.

Embracing the curse and forgetting about the pill would be giving up, and Saotome Ranma never gives up.

Still at the table, Saotome Genma watched his son turned daughter struggle with the weight suddenly dropped upon her. While he had adapted to the panda curse with ease, he was also much older and comfortable with being who he is. If Ranma had been older in Genma's opinion, the boy would have handled the curse much better.

While working at the clinic for much of this past month, he had started reading medical books and such, partly for their help in martial arts. The other reason was that he was making an effort to understand on some level what his son was going through. The hormones, already bad enough for a normal teenaged boy, were doubly worse as he got dosed with some he never really should.

It was enough to make him want to cry sometimes.

He was often insensitive to his son's plight on a number of levels, but he wanted his son to be tough. His son wasn't supposed to lean back on his for every single problem. Genma often scoffed at the overly emotional father and son duo, preferring to remain in a somewhat adversarial role to his son.

But something had changed about that recently, something that made he pull the needles off his son. Perhaps, it was his old friend going out on a training trip and him not being there every step of the way. The shame he felt not offering to go along with it, had been profound.

If he couldn't bear to head out on one measly trip, then how could he ask his son to give his very all on all things that came with the Art?

Still seated at the table, Soun was trying to get his feelings in order over this entire incident. His potential son-in-law, was now locked as a girl and it was apparent he wasn't going to get his cure for this that easily. The old woman had done quite a number on Ranma again, apparent by how she seemed to stagger around like she had imbibed an entire bottle of sake.

But it was harder for Soun to take, as tow of his daughters seemed to be on eggshells about the whole thing. Both Nabiki and Akane had taken an obvious liking to the Saotome heir, which both made him happy and sad at the same time. He couldn't bear to see either of them hurt, but it seemed like that was the eventual outcome.

It made him want to bawl like the old days.

That, of course, wouldn't happen now. But the fact that he had opened this possibility up wore heavily on him. If either of his girls had their heart broken by Ranma, he would have to share in the blame for it.

Of course, the boy had to regain his manhood first, which was looking like an iffy prospect. The Amazon Elder had completely defeated Ranma in both of their encounters, which dampened his spirits just a bit. If this kept up, there was a good chance that Ranma might not live long enough to get his cure.

And that more than anything, was what really scared him about all this.

- - -

It was morning at the Nekohaten, and that meant that there was preparation to be done for the first day that the restaurant would be opening soon. Everyone rushed around, cleaning up the restaurant and making sure everything ready for their official opening. The frantic rush was directed under the watchful gaze of the Elder Cologne.

Ever since she had arrived in Nerima, the Elder had effected a ton of changes. Her pupils Haircare and Shampoo were now having to work side by side, despite a strong dislike of one another. Mousse was behaving himself, if only because he didn't want to bring down the old woman's wrath upon himself.

The Elder was not pleased by what had happened while her great-granddaughter was away, and she was going to make sure everyone else weren't happy about it either.

While she was more merciful to the ex-groom in their last encounter, it was more her desire to continue pummeling the fool than mercy. If she simple broke him in the first two encounters, he would lose the will to continue pursuing the Phoenix Pill. And if he gave up, she might actually start feeling bad for picking on such a weakling.

And that's why she had allowed those girls to take Ranma from the battle. It was bad enough her own charge was sticking her nose into the battle, but she supposed the girls were only thinking about Ranma's well-being. She'd have to keep an eye out for them, as they could play a role in further engagements.

She was having more fun than she had in years.

That was what she was seeking from this whole debacle. All she had was a few laughs, a few cheap thrills, was that so wrong? However, she did recognize that some may disapprove of how she got her fun and laughs.

Haircare was a pain, but she was loyal to a fault and stupid enough to allow her to be pushed around like a good little pawn. The old ghoul had thought the same of her great-granddaughter, but the outside world seemed to have wised her up a bit. The same, however, could not be said for Mousse. Wherever he had been taken to must not have allowed him to learn anything.

It was why he made such a good pawn, he was prideful and stupid, easily to manipulate to do her bidding.

As she watched the rush pick up pace, she noticed the stark difference between Haircare and Shampoo. Where the brown haired girl moved as though she was above such menial labor, the purple haired girl moved with a purpose and didn't seemed bothered by the task. That difference had always been there, it only showed when the two had to do the same task.

Har had talent, and enough skill even though she hadn't been properly trained. In battle, she could usually be counted on unless she got distracted or mad. In the kingdom of short attention spans, Har would be the eternal queen.

That was why the Elder always referred to her as "my stupid apprentice".

Shampoo, oh what a waste that girl had turned out to be. Very few warriors ever show signs of becoming an elder in their advanced years. From the time she started training, Cologne could feel a certain specialness about her great-granddaughter, something that showed a future greatness.

Dedicated, driven, and determined to her life as a warrior, Shampoo easily made every single other elder jealous and wary of her. The girl had always placed high amongst her age group in the warrior class, even despite her constant harassment from Mousse and other jealous fighters. She had all the potential to change the village and shape the history that would come.

And that was why Cologne called her "my ungrateful apprentice".

- - -

The school day was finally over, and neither Akane nor Nabiki milled around after school. Both wanted to get home and get Ranma's input on a few of the plans they came up with at lunch. The sooner he got back to normal, the happier everyone would be.

Both sisters continued their planning on the way home. After all, they couldn't waste this time they had to continue rehashing their plans. They continued to talk, until Akane spotted something on a nearby telephone poll and pulled it down.

It was a help wanted ad for the Nekohaten!

The two made tracks for the dojo, rushing as fast as they could without wearing themselves out. Stopping their rush only to doff their shoes, they both frantically completed their bum rush into the house. Receiving scared looks for both fathers and Kasumi, both sisters calmed down enough to explain their frantic entrance.

"Where's Ranma?" Akane asked, holding up the piece of paper she had pulled down from the poll.

"What is it Akane?" Ranma asked, coming into the room a bit straighter and less worn down than the morning.

"Look at this!" Nabiki exclaimed, taking the ad from Akane and handing it to Ranma.

"Waitress wanted!" Ranma read, eyes widening as he read further. "Apply at Nekohaten for job."

"You know what this means?" Akane asked, sparing a brief dirty look at the back of her sister's head.

"No, what?" Ranma answered honestly.

"You can try to get the pill from her without her being able to counterattack you back." Akane explained, as Nabiki nodded along.

"Look, it's either this, or continue being pounded into the ground until she cripples you." Nabiki said, an intense look on her face. "This isn't the time for any macho bullshit, if you want to be a man again, try to remember that you'd like to be able to enjoy it."

"Ok, ok, I got it." Ranma said, not turning away from Nabiki, nor did her eyes reflect any disagreement in them.

"Well, you know where it is." Akane said, taking a seat at the table. "when you're ready to go, just apply for the job and try your best to get the locket back."

"Alright, Akane." the redhead said with something unnoticeable in her voice, not taking her gaze away from Nabiki.

'W-what is she staring at me for?' Nabiki thought unsteadily, feeling somewhat put off by the intense stare.

"I better go," Ranma said softly, finally tearing her gaze from Nabiki and turning for the door. "I'll get that pill one way or another."

The door opened and closed moments later as a silence enveloped the household. Genma shivered, as he had rarely seen his son look at anyone like that. It wasn't one of anger, or even malice, but of a quiet determination. There was something Genma couldn't quite place, but it didn't bother the elder Saotome much.

Soun on the other hand, had a slight feeling what that hidden something might be. He remembered looking like that when faced with a tough decision as presented to him by his late wife. It was a look of longing, a want to say something that he knew he shouldn't. To do something that would be permanent and unable to be taken back once done.

Kasumi shook her head, feeling like something major happened without her noticing it. She had noticed the gaze that Ranma had directed at Nabiki, but didn't see anything other than the fact the redhead was staring rather intensely at her sister. For the life of her, she couldn't figure it out.

Akane didn't want to look up from the table, didn't want to look over at the spot where Ranma had ignored her in favor of staring at Nabiki. It was bad enough Nabiki wouldn't reveal her scheme and leave Akane and Ranma in peace, but she also had to fake like she cared about Ranma in some capacity. Her sister was treading too far with this scheme, and soon, Akane may just have to set the Ice Queen straight on what's what.

Nabiki could only stare where Ranma had stood, staring into her like she were a mirror. That look on the redhead's face spoke volumes, but what was said was still a mystery. Her insides were feeling like they had be coated with syrup, her mind doing somersaults as she tried to figure out what was conveyed by that look. She could feel her face heat up with a faint blush as her hormones flared out of control, as they had when she had snuck kisses from him when he slept.

But could she ever allow him to be anything more than a friend, allow that protective shell she had woven to fail? Could she throw it all away, who she had been these ten years, and allow him to be with her in that way? When it was all out in the air, and they had finally figured out where they stood in each other's lives and plans, would there be a we, an us, or just… friends?

Despite her above average intelligence, Nabiki couldn't answer a single one.

- - -

"Nabiki…" Ranma muttered to herself, collecting herself at the wall of the compound to recollect herself. "Why'd you have to go and say all that?"

The redhead was currently annoyed at the middle Tendo, but more at herself for her neigh outburst in the face of what she said. It was something that should make her angry, make her want to snap back at her, but something about it made her stop. It made her stop and think about what Nabiki said and why she said it.

It was true, Cologne had beaten her pretty badly. But the way Nabiki had said it, the way the emotions came across, had stuck an unfamiliar chord with the Saotome heir. The words struck up a whole new set of feelings, something that stopped Ranma dead in her tracks.

And she had stared at Nabiki, eyes awash with emotions and feelings she herself couldn't describe if she tried.

Disgusted with herself, she pushed on to the Nekohaten, determined to get the locket and get the Cat's tongue turned off once and for all. The old ghoul would learn that you shouldn't mock Saotome Ranma while he, in this case she, was down. Clenching her hands into fist, she would wipe the condescending grin off the old bag's face.

A hundred and fifty years it would take for her to be ready to beat the old ghoul? Ha! She would do it in a mater of days if need be, as she was tired of being the whipping boy to the mummy's cruel mistress. It was time for her to remove the seal on her manhood, and stand once more as a man.

She kicked the doors open and glared at everyone inside, daring them to say anything.

"OLD GHOUL!" she cried, clenching her right hand into a fist. "I've come to fill the waitress job!"

"Oh have you really, ex-groom?" the old woman said, reclining her head to a side. "Then come with me to the back."

"You got it." the girl replied cockily, before passing by a heavily bandaged Har. "Yikes! A mummy!"

"Oh shut up! It's your fault I'm like this." the mummified girl snapped back, trying not to drop her ramen.

"It too-too good look for you." Shampoo said as she passed by. "Bandages cover up Haircare's too-too ugly face."

"Oh can it, you!" Har snarled back, jamming the orders down. "I don't need lecture from someone like you!"

"Uh, old ghoul," Ranma whispered to said ghoul as soon as they were away from Har. "Are you sure this isn't something kinda weird about that mummy girl?"

"Other than her utter lack of an attention span?" Cologne asked back, not getting what the girl was hinting at.

"Well…" the redhead said, looking back at Har argue with Shampoo with fervor. "Do you ever get the feeling that she has a crush on Shampoo?"

"A crush?" the elder asked, eyes blinking owlishly. "Well, it WOULD explain a few things."

"Well, what's back here you want to show me?" Ranma asked, her curiosity about Har's sexual preference discarded.

"Your uniform of course." Cologne answered, grabbing one and throwing it at the girl. "Change. You start today."

"Alright." the redhead said, heading off to a secure place to change.

'So, she's walking along to my plan.' the old woman thought, a picture of Nabiki flashed through her mind. 'That girl, for an outsider, she's pretty slick.'

"Okay, I'm ready." Ranma said as she emerged from the room.

"Good, I expect a lot out of you." Cologne said.

- - -

An hour passed since Ranma had started her new job at the Nekohaten in a bid to try and grab the pill from the old ghoul. People soon flocked to the Nekohaten when they heard about the cute waitresses. And upon taking in what many assumed was a floor show, one could hardly blame them for being content with dinner and a show.

"One order of beef ramen!" Cologne called as she held the bowl up from Ranma to take.

"Got it!" Ranma called, one hand going for the bowl, the other for the bowl.

"Hah!" the old woman called, thrusting a hand out to stop the encroaching hand.

Thus began a furious exchange of grabs and swats, the bowl seemingly hovering in the air.

"Wow, the bowl is floating in mid-air!" cried one not-so bright customers, whose friends immediately did the patient smile thing, as if to say, "Please forgive him for being stupid".

"Five orders of curry ramen!" came the call from the chef, who so happened to be Shampoo's father, slinging the bowls at Ranma.

"Gack!" she cried, frantically catching the bowls and balancing them on her arms.

"You better hurry or you'll be burned by the hot broth!" Cologne cackled in delight.

Over at another table, two very familiar faces watched in silence. Akane wasn't comfortable sitting next to Nabiki, not after what had happened at the dojo. Nabiki, by the same token, wasn't sure how she should feel around Ranma after what happened.

"Well, Ranma's doing better." Nabiki muttered, poking at her bowl of Ramen.

"Better? Are you nuts? He can't even get close." Akane said hotly, not finding her own ramen very appealing.

"Ah, but Cologne isn't beating her from pillar to post." the elder sister said, wagging her finger.

'Thinks she's so cool,' the younger sister grumbled silently, taking a mouthful of ramen and slurping loudly.

'I have to admit,' Ranma thought as she continued her routine with Cologne. 'This does make for some real good training.'

And so it continued for another two hours before Cologne decided to send Ranma home. Ranma respectfully said her goodbyes to the Elder and Shampoo and left with the two sisters, happy to walk away with no new bruises. She didn't talk much during the walk home, which was fine by both sisters.

They were just relieved Ranma walked away from this encounter.

- - -

School was in session, and since she had recovered from her beating, Ranma showed up as a girl. Normally, she would have to wear a girl's uniform, but a quick lie from Nabiki and a note from Dr. Tofu allowed her to stick to her Chinese clothes. She was enjoying school simply because it was a sign of normalcy for her now.

Of course, that didn't last long. By the time the day had let out, Ranma was confronted with a very distinct problem that she had been shielded from. Namely, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, and his particular brand of romance.

A sigh escaped the pigtailed girl's lips as she spotted him coming towards her.

"PIGTAILED GIRL!" the overly amorous kendoist cried, opening his arms wide. "Jump into my arms and show me the love I have been missing since you went away."

"Hands off pal." said girl retorted, blocking the attempted hug with a well place foot to the face.

"Ha ha ha," Kuno laughed after recovering from the unexpected kick. "How fiery she is, my beloved pigtailed girl. The Gods surely smile, as the foul sorcerer is nowhere to be seen."

"Will you just shut up?" Ranma asked with a vein pulsing from her forehead, jumping up and hammering Kuno over the head with an overhand right.

"Ah, such a lovely maiden to play hard to get." Kuno mused, voice muffled by the ground his face was currently pressed against.

"Ah, forget it." Ranma said, storming off in a huff, not wanting to deal with Kuno right now.

"Oh pigtailed girl!" Kuno cried as he got up and ran after her. However, before he could embrace her, a giant concrete roller slammed into the ground in front of him. "What in blazes?"

"Cool you ardor boy." Cologne said from atop said roller. Quickly, she jabbed him in the head with her staff, knocking him out.

"Aw, man," Ranma breathed out, getting over the whole crash. "What do you want, old ghoul? I don't have to work for another hour."

"This is not about your new job, ex-groom." the old woman rasped, turning around to face the redhead. "This is just me making sure you're totally calm."

"Uh, thanks." Ranma said, somewhat off-balance by that.

"After all, the customers wouldn't like an angry waitress!" Cologne cackled, hopping off the roller and away into the sky. "Try and look beautiful for the adoring public."

"Grr, why that no good old freak!" she exclaimed, an aura of rage appearing around her. "You forgot this!" With that, in an amazing display of strength that she probably shouldn't have been able to do, she booted the concrete roller into the air after the ghoul.

"Ha, it is too easy!" called a male voice, as a Chinese boy leapt into the air and split the roller in twain. He landed in what would have been a cool pose, had the two split ends not landed directly on his head.

"What the…? What was that?" Ranma exclaimed, drawing over both Tendo sisters from what they were doing before.

"Who was that?" Akane asked, staring at the concrete pile in shock.

"Someone who wasn't that bright I'd say." Nabiki answered, silently saying a prayer from the surely dead boy's soul.

"Shampoo!" came a cry from the rubble, which was soon parted to reveal the boy was just fine.

"Stupid Mousse always showoff." the named girl huffed, landing next to Ranma and the sisters Tendo.

"Oh, Shampoo! How lovely it is to hear your voice!" Mousse exclaimed, rushing forward and hugging Akane tightly.

"Who are you calling Shampoo!" Akane growled, disengaging herself and slapping the boy.

"Mousse as blind as bat yes?" Shampoo said helpfully, explaining said boy's eyesight problem.

"That would explain it." Nabiki said, glaring at the Chinese boy.

"I'll say," Ranma said, sniffing slightly.

"Ah ha, Saotome Ranma!" Mouse exclaimed, turning at Shampoo with his arms poised to strike.

"Stupid Mousse! It Shampoo!" Shampoo cried, kicking him in the face.

"Ow," Mousse groaned, rubbing his jaw. "That's what I expect from the person who beat Shampoo."

"Yo! Over here stupid." Ranma called, waving her hand.

"You insufferable moron!" Cologne hollered as she appeared and bashed Mousse over the head with her staff. "Put on your glasses!"

"Hmm," the boy said, putting on and adjusting said glasses and looking at Cologne. "It's a mummy!"

"Ha ha," Cologne deadpanned, before nailing him in the ribs. "Now do what you were sent here for."

"Ah ha!" Mousse wheezed, rubbing out the sting in his ribs. "There you are Ranma!" He pointed straight at the redhead.

"What do you want?" Ranma said, cracking her knuckles.

"I want you to release whatever hold you have on Shampoo so she can marry her true husband, me!" the myopic boy cried, earning a glare from said girl.

"Hmph!" Shampoo said, turning her nose up. "Shampoo sooner love Haircare than you."

"Besides, she already spurned you." Cologne said, rubbing her forehead.

"But… but… we were kids!" Mousse sputtered indignantly, a brief image of young Shampoo kicking him in the face flashing through his mind.

"And yet she still does." Cologne said, shaking her head.

"Grr, I challenge you Saotome!" the boy cried, pointing at her.

"And why should I accept?" Ranma asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Because…" Mousse started, but trailed off as he realized he had no sufficient bait for the fight.

"If you win and defeat Mousse, irregardless of circumstance, I'll show you a technique to help you get the Phoenix Pill." the Elder offered, pulling out the locket with the pill in it.

"Hey!" Mousse yelled, wheeling around and looking at the old ghoul. "What do I get if I win?"

"Not Shampoo." Cologne said flatly. "Even though my ungrateful apprentice infuriates me so, you won't get her from this fight."

"Fine!" the flustered boy cried. "I'll take…" he paused, scanning the crowd before point at Nabiki. "Her!"

"What?" Akane screamed, clenching her hands into fist and needing to be restrained by Ranma to keep from trying to throttle the boy. "What do you want with my sister!?"

"A-Akane!" Ranma said, trying her hardest to keep the girl back. "Stop!"

"You're on." Nabiki said, a feral look in her eyes.

"WHAT?!" Akane and Ranma shouted in unison, nearly toppling over in shock.

"If you're going to get a technique to break the cat's tongue, I don't mind baiting myself for it." Nabiki said, smirking at Mousse. "Be here tomorrow, after school, and make sure to practice your excuses on why you lost."

"Do I have your word you won't chicken out?" Mousse asked, looking at Ranma.

"Hah!" Ranma snorted, a smirk of her own on her face. "I should be asking you that."

"Nabiki…" Akane said, staring at her sister.

"What?" the elder sister replied, looking over at Akane.

"You don't have to do this." the younger sister said quietly, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.

"Do what? Help Ranma? I suppose only you're allowed to help him then?" Nabiki asked crossly, silencing her sister as they lapsed into a staring contest.

"Uh…" Mousse said, looking at the sisters. "I think we're being ignored here."

"Whatever." Ranma retorted. "Just be prepared to lose tomorrow."

"You're on." Mousse said, leaping away.

"Old ghoul," Ranma said. "I'm sorry, I won't be able to work today, I need to train."

"Indeed you do. Very well, I'll allow you the day off to train." the old woman said, thinking for a second. "And don't worry, Mousse won't do anything to that girl, I'll see to that."

"Thanks…" Ranma whispered in relief. "Hey, let's go home."

Both girls broke their staring match and nodded to him. The trio soon departed for the Tendo dojo, their minds racing on what to do for the fight tomorrow. The old woman watched them go, a look of quiet contemplation on her face.

"Good luck to you ex-groom." Cologne said, a deadly grin on her face. "You'll need it."

End chapter 15

Teaser for chapter 16:

"Good luck Ranma." Akane said, as Ranma headed off to battle Mousse. They had arrived early so Ranma could warm up before the battle.

"Hey, don't worry, I'm the best remember?" Ranma said confidently, smiling brightly.

"Sure, sure. All the same, you'll need it." the youngest Tendo said, before looking around for her sister. "Have you seen Nabiki?"

"She said she'd be there to watch the battle," Ranma replied, thinking briefly. "I think Shampoo may have come by."

"Oh." Akane said, not understanding the oddball relationship between her sister and the former Amazon. "Well, Mousse should be here soon."

"Yeah, I hope she gets to watch it." Ranma said, before waving off Akane's look of discomfort. "She's being wagered on this battle isn't she?"

"That's right, she is." Akane said, breathing a mental sigh of relief. 'So he's just concerned about her knowing her fate. That's all.'

Author note: Another chapter down, expect an FIG Christmas fic on Monday. Also, Har's purpose will slowly reveal itself, but seriously, she's going to get dumped on because of her attitude. It's not the nicest thing, but I don't have to be nice to her if I don't want to. Have patience, all will be revealed in time. I promise. Later.


	16. Roasting Chestnuts with You

-1Disclaimer: Ranma ½ isn't mine, please don't sue.

Author note: Chapter 16, Ranma vs. Mousse, and other wacky stuff.

First I Giveth

Chapter 16 Roasting Chestnuts with You

By Marik Kurakashi

Ranma had trained well into the night to find a way to defeat Mousse. The Chinese boy had the reach on her, so she had to find a way to get inside that reach. Working on her speed and even some grappling techniques with her father, Ranma was confident of victory the next day.

School had always been something of a weak point for Ranma, but considering she was so amped up for the fight, she actually stayed awake. Ignoring the shrieks of her classmates, as though her participating in class was a portent of doom, she enjoyed the day much to her own shock. Lunch had been fun, eating with both sisters as they discussed the coming battle.

But still, Ranma couldn't believe Nabiki would use herself in a bet like this.

Sure, she said it was to help Ranma, but was that really all? How was she supposed to know that Nabiki was on the up and up here? After all, if she were to believe all the nasty rumors, Nabiki's ability to shirk out of bets was the stuff of legends.

It didn't matter, as all Ranma had to do was win and there'd be no reason for Nabiki to back out of the deal somehow. The time was nearing, the battle would be intense, and she hoped that she could take it. She had no real idea what Mousse may bring to the fight, but it didn't matter.

He'd lose all the same.

"Good luck Ranma." Akane said, as Ranma headed off to battle Mousse. They had arrived early so Ranma could warm up before the battle.

"Hey, don't worry, I'm the best remember?" Ranma said confidently, smiling brightly.

"Sure, sure. All the same, you'll need it." the youngest Tendo said, before looking around for her sister. "Have you seen Nabiki?"

"She said she'd be there to watch the battle," Ranma replied, thinking briefly. "I think Shampoo may have come by."

"Oh." Akane said, not understanding the oddball relationship between her sister and the former Amazon. "Well, Mousse should be here soon."

"Yeah, I hope she gets to watch it." Ranma said, before waving off Akane's look of discomfort. "She's being wagered on this battle isn't she?"

"That's right, she is." Akane said, breathing a mental sigh of relief. 'So he's just concerned about her knowing her fate. That's all.'

"Saotome Ranma!" Mousse called as he arrived at the appointed battlefield. "I have come to defeat you and free Shampoo!"

'The ex-groom is in so much trouble in this fight. She must know that the reach belongs to Mousse.' Cologne thought as she and Har manned a noodle cart.

"That idiot," Har muttered through her bandages. "He better be careful or that girl will surprise him."

"Oh?" the elder said, surprised by Har's assertion. "What makes you think that?"

"That girl was supposed to be training all of last night right?" the mummy girl said, handing off a thing of noodles absently. "Well, as far as I can see, she's thrumming with anticipation for this bout. Mousse spent all of yesterday crowing about his easy win."

RING RING!

Both Har and Cologne looked up to see a bike streaking towards the ground, which lightly jarred down in front of them. Nabiki released her death grip and hopped off the bars, while Shampoo dismounted from the bike. Both girls surveyed the battlegrounds, and were pleased to see the fight hadn't started.

"Good job, Aibo." Nabiki said, smiling at the other girl. "We're here just in time."

"Aw, it nothing Anego." Shampoo said with a blush at the praise.

"N-Nabiki?" Akane called, spotting her sister and coming towards her. She stopped and took a closer look at the older girl. "W-What the hell are you wearing?!"

"This?" Nabiki asked absently, pointing to the Chinese dress she had on, which was only a bit longer than Shampoo's normal one. "Just something I borrowed from Shampoo, it's probably what the old ghoul would have me wear during my unspecified time under her."

"You mean.. you don't think Ranma will win?" the younger sister asked incredulously.

"I know Ranma will win, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared." the elder sister said, a dismissive tone in her voice. "Besides, I think I look pretty good in it."

"I'll say." chorused several nearby boys.

"See?" Nabiki teased, before holding up a hand. "There's a fight to watch."

Back in the impromptu ring, Mousse was finishing his stretching. The combatants stared each other down, waiting for a sign to begin. Cologne, deciding it was time to begin, picked up an empty pot and banged on it.

The fighters shot toward each other, Ranma weaving around Mousse's opening right cross and coming in with a right aimed for her opponent's gut. Mousse, showing his own limberness, spun away from the punch and threw a right kick aimed at the back of Ranma's head. That turned out to be a tactical error, as the girl ducked the kick and springing up to capture the leg.

With minimal effort, she flung Mousse across the ring. However, the boy rolled him into a ball and landed on his feet, back to Ranma. The redhead closed the gap in a hurry, but was thwarted by a backfist that made her stop her charge. Mousse flowed into a front kick seamlessly, forcing Ranma to leap back out of range.

A cheer went up as the crowd appreciatively clapped for the nice exchange.

Circling one another now, Mousse and Ranma feinted at each other for a few seconds. Tiring of the fruitless chase, Ranma leaped in with a right side kick, which Mousse swayed away from. Before he could press an advantage however, he had to hop back as Ranma spun the side kick effortlessly into a left back spin kick.

Landing in a crouch, right hand stabilizing her, Ranma's head shot up as she looked at the Chinese boy who was backing away more. Shifting to a sprinter's stance, she shot towards her foe with great speed, getting inside his reach before his counter could form. Hopping up, she used her left knee to push his right arm aside as she threw right hook at his face. He leaned away from the punch, which only opened him up further.

With a spin, Ranma flowed the blocked arm and caught it in a Jujigatame, using Mousse's unset feet to take him down to the ground.

Mousse's face contorted with slight pain as the redhead hyper-extended his arm in the judo armlock. As the crowd gasped, the boy's mind flew as he thought of a counter to his predicament. One quickly came to him, as he rolled his body around to lean on his legs and press Ranma's head into the ground.

A burst of strength allowed him to lift his lighter foe from the ground, hand dangerously close to her throat. Wary of what he might try, she let go of the hold as his arm reached the apex of its lift, flipping forward and landing behind Mousse. Surprised that his arm was suddenly free, Mousse leapt away from the redhead, giving him time to shake the feeling back into the arm.

"Not bad, Saotome." Mousse grudgingly congratulated. "Another thirty seconds like that and you would have broken my arm."

"Hey, it's not Indiscriminate Grappling for nothing." Ranma said back, loosening herself up more. "Besides, that was a good way to make me let go, as you were going to jam me into your knee."

"It appears, so far, we're at a stalemate." he replied, once the feeling was back in his right arm, he took a ready stance.

"Naw," she said with a confident smirk. "I just haven't had a chance to make my superiority known to you yet."

"Pride goes before a fall you fool." Mousse said, a sneer on his face.

"And you must have none, what with you challenging me while I'm locked as a girl and all." Ranma shot back, still smirking.

"You dare mock me!" the boy roared, charging forward.

"I don't see you stopping me!" the girl retorted, charging as well, but lower to the ground.

Mousse unleashed a fury of swings, each missing their mark by mere centimeters. Ranma was focused on dodging alone, wanting to tire her foe out instead of simply pummeling him into submission. For a solid minute, she evaded the blows, weaving away at seemingly the last possible second.

"Very shrewd, ex-groom." Cologne complimented, watching the exchange with a passive look.

"The fool's lost his cool." Har added, shaking her head in disgust.

"So, you think you can dodge all of my attacks?" Mousse asked, tiring slightly, before stopping his attack and sticking both arms out to the side. "Then try this! BLOW OF THE WHITE SWAN!" He brought his hands forward in a blur.

"What the?" Ranma asked before she was clobbered on top of the head by something.

"Ha, not so confident now that I bring my real skills to bear are you?" the Chinese boy taunted, sticking his hands up in his sleeves.

"Real skills? Yeah right!" the redhead snorted, recovering from the blow with ease. "That won't work twice."

"Confident to the end eh Saotome?" he asked, smirking as he slowly took the stance of his earlier attack. "Then taste it again, BLOW OF THE WHITE SWAN!" Again his hand shot forward in a blur.

"I said," she growled, thrusting a kick in between his hands. "That won't work twice!"

"Guh…" he replied, a swan shaped object pressed against his face.

"…He was using that?" she asked, face screwed in confusion.

"It's a training potty!" one of the crowd yelled, drawing a series of boos from the onlookers.

"Grr…" Mouse said, throwing the potty into the distance. "I will defeat you, no matter how I have to do it!"

"Hah, just keep trying you idiot." Ranma replied, taking a loose stance. Without warning, she blasted forward and inside his guard in a flash.

"What?!" Mousse said, staggering a bit from the blow he'd suffered.

"You're too slow!" Ranma called, slamming her elbow directly into the abdomen of her foe.

"Glah!" he cried, staggering back a few steps, clutching at his stomach. "H-How?"

"Not hard, moron." she answered, reclaiming that same loose stance. "You had the reach on me, so I worked on my speed to get inside it. It's apparent to me that you took this fight lightly as you haven't prepared at all."

"Grr.." Mousse said, getting back to his feet and taking off his robes. "An unfortunate mistake, one which I'll correct now. Lay on, Saotome, and may death claim the first to beg for mercy." He took a loose stance of his own.

The two fighters charged each other, once again exchanging high-speed blows. The two warriors flowed from blow to blow, though each blow missed by the merest of centimeters. The crowd clapped and cheered for every daring attack and amazing dodge, enthralled by the skill shown.

"So, the real fight is starting." Nabiki said, watching the exchange intently.

"Real fight, sis? They've been going hard at each other since the beginning." Akane said, not taking her eyes away from the action.

"No, Anego right. Mousse overconfident before, Ranma almost broke arm then ribs to get him to fight for real." Shampoo said, explaining things while not paying attention to who she was talking to.

"Oh." Akane said, staring intently at the fight. 'Ranma, please don't lose.'

Ranma and Mousse exchanged several kicks, Mousse spinning away from Ranma's, and Ranma spinning in towards Mousse to get in position for her next kick. Throwing a feint, Ranma charged in and nailed him in the chest with a flying kick. Absorbing the blow, Mousse fell back with the kick, twirling around and kicking Ranma upside the head.

She tumbled away, shaking her head to get her bearings back. Recovering, she landed again in a crouch, right hand steadying her. She sprinted low and kicked at the charging Mousse's legs, which he leaped over and rolled up to a knee.

Quickly rolling back to her feet, she charged at Mousse and sprang off his knee to knee him in the face. He fell back from the blow, laying down for a brief second. Recovering from her attack, Ranma rushed her down foe and kicked at his head, which he rolled to avoid, rolling again when she tried to stomp his head.

He rolled back on his shoulders and kicked Ranma between the shoulder blades, sending her stumbling, before he sprung to his feet.

As the crowd roared with approval, both fighters stalked each other. Ranma ducked under a wild right haymaker from Mousse, then hopped over a left back sweep. Mousse regained his knees, but was kicked hard in the chest, sending him down to his ass.

Ranma rushed in again and barely missed a roundhouse left that the seated boy fell back from to avoid. Mousse sprang to his feet, wary even more of his foe as that kick would have nearly taken his face off. Stamping his right foot, Mousse then charged Ranma and missed with a right kick, but curiously, Ranma's face started to bleed.

"What was that?" Ranma said, rubbing the shallow cut on her right cheek.

"Am I supposed to answer that?" Mousse retorted, taking another stance.

"Ranma! Mousse master of Hidden Weapons style!" Shampoo called, drawing the combatants' look.

"So that means…" Ranma said, looking before barely seeing the glint of metal. "A knife in your shoe? How low can you be?"

"Heh, you idiot. I'm a master of Hidden Weapons, which means my body IS a weapon." Mousse said before springing into the air. "And now I finish this! Hawk's talon!"

"Claws from his shoes!" Nabiki called, pointing up at the airborne boy.

"Ranma, be careful." Akane shouted, as the crowd murmured in anticipation.

"Hah, that dumbass," Ranma muttered, crouching down as far as she could. "The Saotome school was built for mid-air combat!" She too sprang into air, shooting past the descending boy.

"What the?" Mousse asked in shock as he looked up at the redhead.

"Look alive moron!" she screamed, focusing a burst of wind ki to carry her down to slam both feet into his face.

"Oomph!" he shouted, his words muffled by the feet resting against his mouth.

"And now to finish this!" Ranma shouted, standing up and forcing Mousse vertical. The talons came up but she grabbed his legs and flipped him over into a piledriver, crossing her legs around his neck and her arms around his torso.

"Guh… this can't be happening!" Mousse choked out, struggling to break free, but finding the redhead's grip unyielding.

"FALCON DRIVER!" she screamed out as they shot towards the ground.

They impacted the ground, kicking up a small amount of dirt. Mousse's glasses flew off, his eyes rolling back in his head as he fell unconscious. Once he went limp, Ranma released her hold on him and stood up.

"I win." she said, huffing slightly.

"Oh dear, you seem to have done quite a number on him" Cologne commented after hopping over to check it out. "The winner of this bout is Saotome Ranma!" She pointed at the redhead with her staff.

Ranma collapsed to a seated position as the crowd applauded and cheered raucously. Nabiki and Akane both came running over to him, Shampoo following at a more sedate pace. Both girls slowed to a stop by Ranma and studied her for a long second.

"Congratulations Ranma." Nabiki said, kneeling by the redhead. "I knew I could count on you."

"That was incredible, that piledriver you did." Akane said, before looking over at Mousse. "Is he even alive?"

"Unfortunately," Har grumbled as she checked on him. She then scooped him up into a firewoman's carry. "I'll take him back to the Nekohaten now, Elder."

"Good, good." the Elder replied, happy to have Har out of her hair for now. "Now, I believe a bet is a bet."

"That's right old ghoul," Ranma said, being helped up to a standing position by Nabiki. "Now what is this technique?"

"This." the old woman said, producing some sticks, and a bag of chestnuts.

"Oh, this is Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Shampoo said, a smile on her face.

"Oh, I see…" Ranma said, before blinking and pointing at Shampoo. "Okay, she said that a little fast. What was the name of this again?"

"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken." Cologne said, enunciating each syllable. "Or, in a simpler tongue, Chestnuts roasting on an open fire."

"What kind of a name is that?" Akane asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

"You'll see." Cologne said, starting a fire, then dumping the chestnuts into said fire. She held up hands, selves rolled up, before her hands blurred.

"Wow!" Nabiki said, clapping her hands as Cologne revealed that she had grabbed all the chestnuts without being burned. "Nice job old gal."

"Thank you, dearie." Cologne said, bowing slightly.

"That is such an awesome technique." Ranma enthused, right hand clenched in excitement.

"Now remember ex-groom, some chestnuts, a little fire, and to move fast enough to grab the nuts before getting burned." Cologne lectured, before turning away. "Come along Shampoo, back to the restaurant. Oh and Ms. Tendo? Keep the dress, it looks rather nice on you." With that, the old woman leapt away.

- - -

"How long has Ranma been at that technique?" Kasumi asked, pouring some tea for her sisters.

"About a week now," Nabiki said, sipping the tea passively.

"He isn't getting any closer," Akane added bitterly, sipping her own tea. "Think it's the cat's tongue causing problems for him?"

"Maybe, but the idea is hand speed after all." the middle Tendo pointed out, taking another sip. "I'm just glad he hasn't set the yard on fire."

"Damnit!" came the now routine cry of frustration, followed by the string of curses as Ranma ran to cool her hands off in the pond.

"Hmmmm," Soun said as he entered the family room. "Ranma still not any closer is he?"

"Nope." Nabiki answered, Akane just shaking her head.

"I guess that maybe a respite is in order." the Tendo patriarch said, rubbing his chin. "Tonight is the fair."

"Hey," Nabiki said, looking at her sisters. "that might work. Take Ranma's mind off things, and ease his frustrations."

"Plus we get to have a bunch of fun too." Akane added, rubbing her hands together.

"Stupid technique," Ranma grumbled as she stormed into the family room to take a break from training.

"Say my boy," Soun said, "how about you take a break and go to the fair with us?"

"What? No! I got training to do." the redhead protested, trying to hide her burnt hands.

"Ranma-kun," Nabiki said with an overly sweet voice, before she dropped it and glared at her. "you're nowhere closer to the Amaguriken then you were when the old ghoul showed you."

"But… but…" Ranma sputtered, fumbling for a reason to stay behind.

"Oh dear," Kasumi put in, "if we're going to the fair, then we may not be coming home until very late. And there aren't any leftovers after lunch today."

A nigh audible crack was heard as Ranma learned that she'd be home alone with no food ready to eat.

"I'll go! I'll go!" she cried, flapping her arms in dismay.

"Good, let's get ready everyone!" Soun called, sending everyone scrambling.

- - -

"Phoo." Ranma said as she walked alongside Nabiki and Akane in a floral patterned kimono. "I shouldn't have agreed to this."

"Relax," Nabiki said, looking over at the redhead. "It's just for tonight, ok?"

"Well, okay Nabiki." the girl said, apparently mollified by that.

'What does she got on him that makes him do what she says?' Akane thought, staring at the back of her sister's head. 'Why does he take what she says and always fight with me?'

"Hey, Ranma, yakitori!" Nabiki called, feeling a bit hungry as she tugged the redhead along, leaving the introspective Akane behind.

'Damnit, just what is it that she does right that I do wrong?' Akane demanded silently, not noticing the disappearance of her companions. 'And why can't he understand she's just using him? That she'll dump him when she gets whatever it is she wants.' Akane wandered the fair, lost in thought.

"I dunno why I'm here," Ranma said, eating her skewer as she walked along with Nabiki. "I'm not going to have any fun."

"Sure, whatever you say." Nabiki answered, eating her own skewer while leading Ranma to the carnival games.

Once she laid eyes on the games, Ranma was sold on the experience. With girlish glee, Ranma streaked from game to game, squealing with delight. As Nabiki watched in bemusement, Kasumi walked up beside her and shook her head.

"Poor Ranma," she said, looking at the girl zipping about. "Trying so hard to pretend he's having a good time."

"I don't think he's pretending," Nabiki replied, smiling as Ranma seemed truly happy.

- - -

"Well, keeping with Ranma so Nabiki doesn't do anything was a bust," Akane complained to herself as she looked for something to do.

"Hey there, pretty girl. How would you like a new goldfish? A hundred yen will get you a shot at one of these babies." a carnie yelled, gesturing to the tank in front of him, which was of course, filled with goldfish.

"Sure, why not?" she said, placing down a hundred yen and receiving a paper net.

"Now," the carnie explained, "all you have to do is get the goldfish of your choice from the tank to a bowl and it's yours. The net breaks, and you don't get a goldfish."

"Piece of cake." Akane said, swiping the net trough the water. However, the net broke once it left the tank. "Another!" She slammed down another hundred yen.

This repeated it until Nabiki showed up to see what her sister was screaming about.

"You rigged this, didn't you?" Akane shouted at the carnie, holding him up by his shirt.

"He's a carnie, of course he did." Nabiki said, drawing Akane's attention.

"Hey, where's Ranma?" Akane asked, dropping the carnie.

"With Kasumi, he'll be along shortly." Nabiki said, a smirk on her face.

'What's with the smirk?' the younger sister thought with a trace of malice.

"Anyways, I guess I'll give it a shot." the older sister announced, placing down a hundred yen and taking a net. "See? It's made out of paper, which will just get soggy and fall apart. You'd need to be real fast to get it from one to the other with this intact."

"Are you going to critique it, or fish with it?" the carnie said, readjusting his outfit.

"Fish with it, but don't worry, you'll be out of business soon enough." Nabiki said, swiping the net through, which predictably broke. "Oh well."

"Hey Nabiki!" Ranma called, finishing off a candied apple. "What are you doing?"

"Oh nothing much." Nabiki said, smirking at the carnie. "Just fishing for some goldfish. Too bad the game is rigged."

"My game is not rigged!" the carnie said hotly, glowering at the girl.

"Then how about this: for a hundred yen, she," Nabiki said, pointing at Ranma, "can fish for as many goldfish as she wants, and will only stop when either the net breaks or the goldfish run out."

"What? No way!" the man cried.

"I don't see why you'd waste your time with this turkey." Ranma said dismissively as she came up beside Nabiki. "The nets will always fall apart, unless you can pull them in and out of the water fast enough… without getting them wet."

"Bah, he's just a chicken anyways." Akane said, glowering at the carnie.

"He better watch out for the yakitori people, they may try to skewer him and cook him up!" Nabiki said, laughing uproariously at her own joke, joined by Ranma and Akane.

"Grr, okay, okay, fine!" the carnie said, holding out a net. "You're on!"

"Here." Nabiki said, setting down the fee and moving out of the way for Ranma.

"Speed is the key!" Ranma called, hoisting the net up high, before rapidly swooshing the net through the tank and sending the goldfish into different bowls. In less than a minute, the tank was empty and all the bowls were filled.

"Come and get your free goldfish!" Nabiki called, which was answered by a stampede of children.

"I… I don't believe it." the carnie said, as he watched Nabiki give away his goldfish. Once all the bowls were empty. "Don't go anywhere kids, those fish haven't left my possession yet."

"Oh no?" Ranma asked, looking through the tank. "Don't see any fish in there."

"Nevermind that!" he shouted, setting aside that tank for one teeming with piranhas. "You empty this tank, the goldfish are yours."

"That all?" Ranma asked, holding up the still intact net up.

"Nope, if they bite you, you lose, and the kids give back the fish." the carnie said, a confident smirk on his face. "What do you say?"

'Have to get them out without being bitten.' Ranma thought, staring at the tank. 'Sounds kinda familiar.'

"Hey, you can do this Ranma. Just think of it like the Amaguriken, but without the fire." Nabiki whispered into the redhead's ear.

"Oh! Oh yeah!" Ranma squealed, posing with the net. "Special training!"

- - -

An hour passed, and Ranma finally left the now defunct carnie behind. The piranha had been no match for the whirring hands of the Saotome heir. To the bowls, back to the tank, and to the bowls again, Ranma flicked them until she was confident she had it down.

The Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken mastered, Ranma and the Tendos marched on the Ramen Servers Union sponsored haunted house. The Union viewed this as a boon, as they apparently now had an actual ghoul in the union, perfect for this kind of thing. Shampoo stood outside as the greeter, who brightened as the group approached.

"Welcome to Haunted House!" she said, giggling a bit. "Shampoo welcome Ranma, Great-Grandmother is within, she has locket with pill."

"Great! I'm going in!" the redhead proclaimed, diving into the haunted house with abandon. "Old ghoul!"

"So glad you could make it, ex-groom!" the old woman cackled from somewhere, "If you want the Phoenix Pill, you must find me!"

"Count on it!" Ranma yelled back, fighting through the various spooks set up through the house.

"Not so fast!" Har called as she hopped down to stand in Ranma's path.

"Get out of my way!" Ranma said, flinging Har out of the way.

"Hey!" the mummy girl protested as she flew through the air and into a wall. "OW!"

"Old ghoul," Ranma said with genuine menace, "It ends tonight!"

"You think that, but I'm sure you're wrong." Cologne called from somewhere, causing the redhead to look around rapidly. "How has your training in the Amaguriken gone?"

"Come on out and I'll show you!" the redhead replied in frustration, continuing on into the last room of the building.

"Greetings, ex-groom." Cologne said, standing in front of a boiling lake. "Are you ready?"

"I was ready yesterday!" Ranma snapped, rushing forward in a blur.

'She's much faster than before!' the old woman though, barely avoiding a desperate grab. "So… you have mastered it after all."

"If I had thought of the goal more than the procedure, I'd have mastered it in an hour." the redhead said back, adapting a cocky stance.

"Would you now?" the old ghoul said, thrusting her staff out. "Talk is cheap."

"Then shut up!" the girl snapped back, dodging the staff with ease. "And give the pill over now!"

"But there's no fun in that." Cologne quipped as she rolled away from another attempt to snatch the locket.

"How long, old bag? How long can you keep that up?" Ranma asked, pressing the old woman for all her worth.

"If you look behind me, I don't have to." Cologne answered, proving her point by springing back onto an inner tube floating on the boiling lake. "Now ex-groom, make it across this boiling lake and take this from me."

"With pleasure!" Ranma called out, grabbing a loose piece of paneling and using it to start across the water.

'Amazing,' the old ghoul thought as the panel riding redhead started towards her. 'She's using the Amaguriken to propel herself forward without touching the water.'

"This is the end!" Ranma cried as she neared Cologne, making a fast swipe at the locket with was slapped away.

"Try again!" Cologne retorted, thrusting her staff repeated to ward off Ranma.

"You can stop me when I use one hand…" Ranma said, stopping her attack and curling both arms up to her sides. "…But how about two!" She used both hands at once, thrusting them forward at blinding speeds.

"Gah!" the old woman called as she felt the locket be pulled from her neck.

"I win!" the redhead crowed, opening the locket to reveal a candy drop. "Huh, looks like a candy drop." She popped it into her mouth.

"That's because it is." the old woman rasped. "Your pill is in another locket I'm afraid."

"You… you!" Ranma sputtered. "But Shampoo said you had the pill."

"That's because I told her I did." Cologne replied with a shrug.

"Great." the redhead said morosely. "Will I ever get it from you?"

"Who can say?" the old woman shrugged, before knocking Ranma back to shore without dropping her in the water.

"What was that for?" Ranma called, rubbing her forehead.

"A measure of respect for your swift change in tactics, my dear boy." Cologne replied, drifting further on the lake. "Keep fighting like that and you'll be a man again sometime soon."

"Old ghoul…" Ranma said, as she watched the elder drift away. "Next time we meet, I'm taking that pill!"

There was no reply, as Cologne slumped against the inner tube and was content to let it caring her away. Though she wasn't tired from the battle, she simply needed to rethink her stance on Ranma. The redhead was slowly gaining respect.

And there was no doubt in her mind, that the next battle would definitely be the last.

End Chapter 16

Yakitori: grilled chicken served on skewers

Jujigatame: Known more commonly as a cross arm breaker in pro wrestling.

Teaser for chapter 17:

Ah, the beach, a grand vacation spot and good for relaxing when you want to burn your skin into a sensitive red mess. Now, the Tendos and Saotomes didn't come to the beach for rest and relaxation. Nope, they were there because the Amazons staying at the Nekohaten had relocated to the beach for the summer.

Everyone tried to relax, hoping that the Amazons would show themselves sooner or later. Nabiki in particular was happy that the Amazons snuck away to the beach, as it was a prime opportunity to work on her tan. As she enjoyed the sun, Ranma and Akane scoured the beach for any sign of the old ghoul or Shampoo.

So far, they were unsuccessful.

"Damn that old ghoul!" Ranma hissed from atop a poll. "Where could she be?"

"It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack." Akane said from the base of the poll.

"Yeah, a really ugly needle." Ranma quipped, before flipping down.

"So now what?" Akane asked, looking sideways at Ranma.

"I dunno, I was gonna go hang with Nabiki for a bit." Ranma said offhandedly, missing the frown creeping across Akane's face.

'She really is shameless.' Akane seethed internally. 'When this whole fiasco is over, Nabiki is going to learn her place.'

Author note: So, that's chapter 16 for you. As for why Tofu didn't use the Tokyo Grandpa point to enable Ranma to change back? Well for one, Tofu broke it to Ranma that he was locked, and not mentioning a point that could temporarily reverse it was libel to get him beat pretty fierce. Now, I know what you're thinking, in cannon, it was all but stated Mousse would beat Ranma locked in his girl form right? Well, in this case, Mousse was overconfident, as he knew he the reach on Ranma. There was no confusion on his part as to whether the redhead was Ranma or not. And, add to the fact Ranma worked on getting inside a larger opponent's reach and was prepared to fight Mousse as she was, and there you have it. And yes, the title of the chapter really doesn't reflect the contents of the chapter, but it was all I could think of. Later.


	17. On the Beach, It Ends

-1Disclaimer: Ranma ½ isn't mine, don't sue, I'm beggin' ya.

Author Note: And now, it ends. The battle between Ranma and Cologne comes to an end. Enjoy.

First I Giveth

Chapter 17 On the Beach, It All Ends

By Marik Kurakashi

Ah, the beach, a grand vacation spot and good for relaxing when you want to burn your skin into a sensitive red mess. Now, the Tendos and Saotomes didn't come to the beach for rest and relaxation. Nope, they were there because the Amazons staying at the Nekohaten had relocated to the beach for the summer.

Everyone tried to relax, hoping that the Amazons would show themselves sooner or later. Nabiki in particular was happy that the Amazons snuck away to the beach, as it was a prime opportunity to work on her tan. As she enjoyed the sun, Ranma and Akane scoured the beach for any sign of the old ghoul or Shampoo.

So far, they were unsuccessful.

"Damn that old ghoul!" Ranma hissed from atop a poll. "Where could she be?"

"It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack." Akane said from the base of the poll.

"Yeah, a really ugly needle." Ranma quipped, before flipping down.

"So now what?" Akane asked, looking sideways at Ranma.

"I dunno, I was gonna go hang with Nabiki for a bit." Ranma said offhandedly, missing the frown creeping across Akane's face.

'She really is shameless.' Akane seethed internally. 'When this whole fiasco is over, Nabiki is going to learn her place.'

"Oh well, the ghoul will show up sometime." Ranma said, jogging back towards the beach.

"I hope so." Akane muttered, trotting after the redhead.

- - -

Back at the beach, Nabiki continued to relax. It was nice to be away from the dojo and everything, a clean moment that was unmarred by the drama that had enclosed the Tendo family since Cologne had arrived. Ah, the sun, the surf, and a good deal of peace and quiet.

Reclining with shades on, Nabiki didn't note the approach of Ranma. She did, however, lookup at the expectant redhead and simply jerked her head to the empty spot next to her. Ranma laid down quietly, not wanting to disturb her friend.

Akane, meanwhile, went off to cool down somewhere, least she blow a gasket at the wrong time.

"Ah," Ranma said, stretching out. "This almost makes me forget about everything that's happened."

"Yeah, we all need to unwind, right?" Nabiki replied, yawning a bit as she continued to relax.

"That we do, that we do." the redhead concurred lazily, stretching a bit more before comfortable.

"Well, good to see they're having a good time, eh Saotome?" Soun said from a bench chair not far away.

"Indeed Tendo," Genma said, sipping a glass of tea while reclining on his own chair.

"It's so nice to see Ranma and Nabiki getting along." Kasumi added from her own chair, adjusting her sun hat a bit.

"Yes," the Tendo patriarch said, a smile coming to his face. "Just look at how things are going now, Saotome."

"Indeed. Now all my son has to do is get that pill and put all this nonsense behind us." the part-time panda proclaimed, right hand clenched in righteousness.

"Hey, what are you doing?" came a cry of dismay from another beachgoer, as he was roughly tossed aside by the now lightly bandaged Haircare.

"Just clearing things out." Har replied, chasing away everyone else as a makeshift maze was constructed on the beach.

"Greetings ex-groom, Ms. Tendo." Cologne said, taking perch at the foot of Nabiki and Ranma's tanning area.

"What do you want old ghoul?" Ranma said with minimal heat, still relaxing.

"Just to offer you one last chance at the Phoenix Pill." the old woman said evenly.

"We're listening." Nabiki said, turning her attention on the old woman.

"If you'll look over there, a maze has been constructed." Cologne said, pointing at the maze. "At the exit, Shampoo waits with the genuine pill. Make it there, and it's yours, not strings attached."

"There has to be a catch." Ranma answered, thinking before leaping into this sure mess.

"Indeed there is, Mousse, Haircare and I will be racing against you, trying to keep the pill in our possession. If we recover it, you may fight me for it." the old ghoul explained, smirking at the pair.

"This is open to more than just Ranma, isn't it?" Nabiki asked, making sure the deck wouldn't be stacked against Ranma.

"Of course, you and one other person are welcomed to join." Cologne answered, seemingly expecting that question.

"Akane!" the middle Tendo called, drawing the girl away from a sand castle she was trying to build.

"What is it?" Akane called back, turning from the misshapen lump of sand.

"How would you like to help Ranma get the Phoenix Pill?" Nabiki called back.

"Really? How?" the youngest Tendo called, rushing over.

"Enter in this race with us," Nabiki answered, while Ranma hooked a thumb at the maze behind them.

"You got it! That pill is as good as ours!" Akane crowed, cracking her knuckles.

- - -

Half an hour had passed, and finally the race for the Phoenix Pill was ready to begin. The six racers lined up, ready to race through the maze and claim the pill. Soon, the signal was given and the racers were off like a shot.

'Gotta get that pill. Then, everything can go back to the way it was.' Ranma thought as she raced through the maze, zigging and zagging around each turn she came upon.

The race was slow going for the most part, as the racers had to continuously go back and retrace their steps as they came up dead ends.

'Damnit,' Akane swore silently as she hit another dead end, 'what the hell is with this maze?'

"Hmm," Nabiki said, rubbing her chin as she went around another corner. "Let's see if I can't figure out a faster path to Shampoo." She quickly poked her head around a corner, spotting a lost Haircare.

"Grr." Har moaned, as she stared at the dead end in front of her. "Why did we build this maze like this?" So absorbed, she didn't notice Nabiki creep past her and continue on.

"Definitely have to wonder about that girl sometimes." the middle Tendo muttered, as Har seemed legitimately frustrated with her lack of success. "Must be more the thought of a bound up Shampoo than keeping the pill in their camp."

Meanwhile, Ranma had reached the figurative halfway point, narrowly avoiding a blindly charging Mousse as rampaged into a wall and fell over.

"Moron," Ranma muttered, picking a direction and heading down it.

"Hmm, found my way sooner than I expected." Nabiki said, ignoring the unconscious Mousse as she tried to pick the right way to go.

"Oooo, my head," Mousse groaned as he stood up.

"I'll get that pill, just you watch Nabiki!" Akane shouted, trampling the poor boy carelessly. "Then you'll have to stand by as Ranma goes back to ignoring you." She aimlessly charged down a path.

"I hate this country." Mousse groaned, unshed tears of pain in his eyes.

"So Mu Tsu," Har said as she came up beside him and poked him in the ribs. "No luck in rescuing Shampoo I see."

"Shut up, what would a pervert like you know about saving the innocent Shampoo." the myopic boy groused, standing up and shoving Haircare away.

"PERVERT?!" the infuriated girl shrieked, "What makes ME a pervert when you would molest anything or anyone think they're Shampoo?"

"You wish to corrupt Shampoo for whatever ill ideas that run through that semi-empty head of yours." Mousse retorted, turning away from Har.

"I _HATE_ Shampoo. What gives you the idea that I do anything but hate her?" Haircare snapped, whirling him around.

"You fly off the handle every time someone mentions her in passing. You'll drop everything just to argue with her, and jealously refer to her as a bimbo as though she's cheating on you." he ran down, shoving her hard again. "Don't touch me again." He stomped off, leaving the bewildered girl alone with her thoughts.

"Do I really do all that?" she wondered aloud, sinking to her knees.

- - -

"Well, it would appear they are doing quite well for themselves." Cologne said, as she tracked the auras of the other racers. She was in no hurry, she had the advantage on them all.

She watched passively for several minutes, waiting as Ranma and his teammates neared Shampoo. Once they neared the captive girl, she made her move. Silently darting around all the correct corners and turns, she made up any ground she had lost while being idle.

'Alright, I'm almost there.' Ranma thought, the path to the exit getting clearer.

Just as she cleared the exit, she saw what was the worst thing to see: Cologne landing in front of her with ease. As the old ghoul smugly took the locket from the barely resisting Shampoo, something snapped within the redhead. It was apparent, at least to the redhead, that Cologne had used underhanded means to win the race.

There was no way Saotome Ranma would stand for it.

"You… you…! You dirty cheater!" Ranma roared in rage, as the old woman turned innocently to the indignant redhead.

"That's a bold statement to make, ex-groom." Cologne said, fastening the locket to her neck.

"But it's the truth! You took the longest, most treacherous path! You said so yourself, and it was confirmed by both Mousse and Haircare who had no reason to lie." the redhead snarled, advancing on the decrepit mummy with true malice in her eyes.

"So what if it was? I happen to be very good at mazes." the old woman replied, backing away none the less.

"I DON'T CARE!" Ranma screamed, streaking forward and knocking a huge amount of sand into the air as she narrowly missed Cologne.

"Even if I were to cheat, I still won. Now take the pill from me if you can!" Cologne retorted, thrusting hard with her staff, but shocked to find it digging into the sand.

"I'll take it from you, just watch!" the redhead retorted, throwing both arms forward at Amaguriken speed, forcing the old woman to defend like wise, while pushing her towards the sea.

"Aiyah…" Shampoo said in a despondent tone, wiggling around in her bonds.

"Crap, someone must have beaten me here." Nabiki said as she came up to Shampoo and worked on untying the girl.

"Nabiki? How did you get here ahead of me?" Akane asked, before seeing the locketless Shampoo. "Where's the Phoenix Pill!?"

"Great-Grandmother take it. Ranma fighting her now." Shampoo said quietly as Nabiki finished untying her.

"Shampoo! I have come to save you!" Mousse screamed as he rushed from the maze, only to be greeted by three feet to the face, dropping him down and out.

"Now, how's Ranma doing?" Akane asked, as all three girls turn to the battle.

- - -

"Come on granny! Give up already, you can't beat me now." Ranma said, forcing Cologne straight to the sea.

"Never!" Cologne retorted, her feet getting wet from the tide. "You only dream of beating me."

"I won last time we fought, in case you forgot!" the redhead snapped, before following with a kick that was blocked but pushed Cologne into the water.

"That was a fluke!" the old crone retorted as she reemerged from the water. "You won't win today, ex-groom!" She struck the water, sending a jet of water at Ranma.

"Fluke this!" Ranma shouted, flipping over the water and landing with both feet on top of the elder, submerging them both.

The underwater battle was fast and furious, as the two combatants swam at each other at high speeds. Spouts of water flew off the surface of the water as the two exchanged blows. The two battled underwater for as long as they could, pausing only to get another mouthful of air.

'It's time to put an end to this farce.' Cologne thought before swimming further away from Ranma before surfacing.

'Where's she going?' Ranma thought, surfacing herself.

"So good of you to join me, ex-groom." the old woman said, seemingly standing on the water. "Now bear witness to the real power of an Amazon Elder! SHARK FIST!" She thrusted her hands forward, sending a shark shaped projectile at Ranma.

"What the hell?" the redhead shouted as she was violently tossed across the water before sinking. 'What was that?' Opening an eye, she saw the old ghoul standing on a shark. 'So that's it.' She swam towards Cologne again.

"You don't learn. SHARK FIST!" Cologne shouted, once more blasting Ranma with the shark shaped projectile.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Ranma screamed as she was blasted from the water and slammed into the beach, not stirring.

- - -

"Ranma!" all three watching girls chorused, Akane running over to check on him as Shampoo held Nabiki back.

"What is it?" Nabiki asked, turning to Shampoo with a curious expression.

"Come with Shampoo back into maze for second." Shampoo said, tugging the girl along.

"Okay, what is it you want? Ranma's in danger." the middle Tendo said impatiently.

"You once tell Shampoo about dangerous technique Ranma know. Called neko-ken yes?" the purple haired girl calmly asked, not fazed by Nabiki's impatience.

"That's right, but what does that have to do with anything?" Nabiki asked, now intrigued.

"Because Shampoo have these." Shampoo answered holding up two packets. "Instant Maoniichuan."

"Maoniichuan?" the brown haired girl asked, confused.

"Spring of Drowned Cat." the Chinese girl answered, causing a look of surprise to cross her friend's face. "Shampoo father give to her. One use."

"But that would mean… we could trigger the neko-ken and maybe Ranma would win!" Nabiki said excitedly, forgetting about the whole scaring the crap out of Ranma part of the equation.

"Shampoo get water, be right back." Shampoo answered, leaping out of the maze.

- - -

"Ranma, get up!" Akane said, shaking the redhead, who didn't stir, but was breathing.

"Is it over?" Cologne asked, standing on the shark as she waited for Ranma. "I was hoping he'd put up more of a fight."

"YOU!" the youngest Tendo yelled, shaking a fist at the old woman.

"Oh? Is that the squeaking of a mouse I hear?" the old ghoul taunted, before laughing at Akane.

"What's so funny huh?" Akane asked, glowering up at the old woman, before turning her head at the sound of two cats. "What the… where'd they come from?"

The cats, one brown the other a curious purple tinged pink, mewing all the while, clamored all over Ranma. The pink one tickled her chin as the brown one licked her face. Slowly stirring, Ranma sat up and looked around.

"What happened?" Ranma asked, looking around with bleary eyes.

"Mew!" the two cats chorused from her lap.

"C-C-C-C-CATS!" Ranma shrieked as the cats leaped onto her head. In panic stricken terror, she got up and run circles around the beach, arms flapping in dismay. "CATS! CATS! CATS!"

"Oh brother," Akane huffed, as Ranma continued making a spectacle out of herself.

"So, the ex-groom is afraid of cats." Cologne said, rubbing her chin. "This information could be useful."

The pink cat was perched on Ranma's head, while the brown cat was latched to her face. The pink cat, tiring of the histrionics, found purchase on the redhead's scalp and leaned down, pushing the brown one further into Ranma's face. A moment later, a loud yowl resounded across the beach as Ranma bent over in the pose of the Neko-ken.

Once their tasked were done, the cats scampered off somewhere. Akane would have followed them, but was too engrossed by watching Ranma dig in for battle against Cologne. The old woman didn't seem to comprehend what had happened, something that was about to cost her dearly.

With another yowl, Ranma sprang into action.

'Could this be…?' Cologne thought, firing off another shark fist. '…the neko-ken!?'

"ROWR!" Ranma roared, shredding the projectile in mere seconds. Changing course, she pounced on Cologne, sending them both underwater.

"Go get her, Ranma!" Akane cheered, as Nabiki and Shampoo approached.

"The fight going okay, Akane?" Nabiki asked, looking out at the frothing sea.

"I guess, Ranma just went into the neko-ken." the younger sister replied, before frowning. "So where were you two?"

"Shampoo have trouble with top, Anego help fix." Shampoo lied, before pointing back to the water. "Look!"

The breath caught in the girls' throats as a giant waterspout heralded the fleeing exit of Cologne from the water, being chased by Ranma, who was hissing and growling up a storm. Cologne sailed past the girls and ran for the safety of the maze, hoping to hide from the enraged girl. Ranma landed and eyed the maze for a brief moment, before charging and clawing her way through the plastic walls.

"Alright! Alright! I surrender!" the old ghoul hollered, hurling the locket at Ranma before fleeing from the enraged girl who thought she was a cat.

Ranma scooped up the locket in her mouth before bounding out of the maze and over to the Tendo sisters. She eyed them both for a long second before dropping the locket and laying down in front of them. As the three girls stared in wonder at suddenly quiet cat behaving girl, one thing was clear…

This trial was over, and Ranma had finally won.

End Chapter 17

Teaser for chapter 18:

"Nabiki…" Akane said from her older sister's door. "We need to talk."

"Talk?" Nabiki asked, feigning ignorance. "About what?"

"About Ranma… and your sudden "interest" in him." the younger sister said, her features hardening as her older sister started playing games.

"Oh, THAT." the older sister responded, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "I was wondering when you'd get the backbone to speak up."

"Excuse me?" Akane said archly, crossing her arms and glaring at her sister.

"Come in and shut the door. It's high time we have a sisterly chat about things." Nabiki commanded tersely, sighing internally as Akane bristled at the command. 'She hates boys my foot.'

Author notes: So I took some time to get this one done, but the Cologne arc is over. 18 might take a while to finish, but it'll get done sometime. Later.


	18. For What We Dream Of

-1Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½. Please don't sue, I'm just doing this for fun.

Author notes: Chapter 18 of First I Giveth as we bring Ukyo, Happosai, and the big confrontation between the sisters Tendo. This gonna be a long one, so hold on tight yo. Roll it!

First I Giveth

Chapter 18 For What We Dream Of…

By Marik Kurakashi

Ukyo patiently wiped down the counter, the restaurant empty after the final customer for the day had left. The business was almost too large a boon, as she hadn't been able to register at school just yet. Though she didn't really care about her education, she knew that Ranma, or someone who knew him, went to school.

So, she would sacrifice a few prime selling hours in exchange for info that would lead her to her revenge. The thief and his lying son would be brought to justice and Ukyo would shove it all back in her father's face. The affection she may have held for the man who had sired her was lost when he had admitted he wanted Genma to take the cart so he could retire.

To be willingly ripped off was the height of cowardice as far as Ukyo was concerned.

And yet, she kept the family name that linked her to that sack of crap. It was mainly because she didn't want to try and be a ronin, even in today's more tolerant society. Japan was famous for its wide smile discrimination, dumping all over people with a smile and a friendly wave.

She crossdressed, mainly because it pissed her father off. Though he had made it no secret he had wanted a son, he wanted his daughter to be his daughter. It was just too bad his ideal of a daughter was something out of the Feudal era: quiet, unassuming, and out of the way.

To say nothing of his two faced standards on just about everything else.

Her greatest outrage against her father came when she discovered on her thirteenth birthday that the mother she had always been told had died birthing her had shown up to wish her little girl a happy birthday. Her rage knew no bounds, as she had left permanent scars on him. The petty man had denied her the right to know her mother simply because he was ashamed she left him for not being able to adequately support his growing family.

The filthy liar who pretended to be her father, grew meek and scared of her, unable to muster the courage to stop her in whatever she wanted to do. She had played fast and loose with her last school, gaining the reputation of a heartbreaker as she had dated girls just to see him wallow in his misery. Sure, it was twisted, but after he had lied to her for the better part of her life, she felt justified in her actions.

If hatred was a fire, her ill will towards her father would burn down Japan ten times over.

However, that hate paled in comparison to the inferno that raged in her for the Saotomes. The father and son crook duo had shattered the idyllic life that she lead, had uncovered all the awful truths that were hidden about her father. Ranma, that pigtailed menace, stole all he wanted from them, in fact, he had never paid for a single okonomiyaki ever.

But his father was even worse. Like a snake, he wove himself inside her father's weak defenses, and took all he wanted from the flake. Even now, she still could see them running off with the cart, the cart that had been the very foundation of her world.

And like a house without a sturdy foundation, her world collapsed down around her ears.

Tears slowly formed around her eyes as she remembered her training by the sea. She fought off crabs, colds, and all other maladies in order to craft the perfect serving form. Through her strained knees, her bloody lips, and all other forms of pain, she had done everything she could to be the best at serving okonomiyaki.

She wasn't going to let her dreams slip away. Wasn't going to let two thieves ruin her dream to be the best okonomiyaki chef in all of Japan. She destroyed the pride of countless chefs with cold, uncaring ruthlessness. Their tears served as a reminder that for her dream to come true, every other dream would have to be shattered.

Her heart would cry the tears she could not, the tears that had been born that day when it all came crashing down.

Though the sea had helped her immensely, it had taken a huge price of her. It left her a much more callous and uncaring person, as though it had stolen a piece of her humanity. The sea doesn't give without taking, the old dock master had said. It tested you, to see if you were worthy of its gift.

Ice flowed through her veins most of the time, thawing enough to allow a shallow smile to a customer, the brainless masses who couldn't read that the sea had made her a part of it. No matter how far she strayed from its shores, she would still have that small bit of endless emptiness. That place where she could retreat to hide from the arrows of damaging emotions.

Kuonji Ukyo, 16, a young girl who pretended she was a man… pretended like she no longer had a heart, or even the capacity to love.

The door opened, and the façade started again. Cheery, dimple filled smile. Sugary, ignorant drawl. And the fake look of someone who really, truly cared.

Customers came and ate, like sheep coming to a favorite spot of grass. Their toneless chatter about all the unimportant things in their unimportant life. They existed solely to Ukyo as a means of survival, a means of information. She had no capacity to really care about them, the sea had seen to that.

But the door would open… and the cycle began again.

- - -

Ah, the fresh air of the mountains. Healthy, revitalizing, it attracted all sorts of people. At the foot of this particular mountain, the evil rested as it snacked on some rice balls.

The sun rose in just the right way, dispelling the evil's shadowy coat. In the light, a shriveled old man sat on the stone, unmindful of the unconscious young woman on the ground by him. While she wasn't a looker by any stretch, she had served her purpose and helped fight off his craving.

He was Happosai, founder of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu, and a mega-pervert.

"Ah," he said, finishing the last rice ball. "Not that bad of a cook. Pity she isn't pretty."

He hopped down from the rock and began to think out his next move. He loved the mountain, but he couldn't depend on the despairingly slight trickle of cuties that came here. But he wasn't sure he wanted to go down the mountain, as he felt something that put him off base.

This force was unidentifiable, an alarm unto itself. The feeling that he got from this was akin to a mouse under the gaze of a cat. Suffocating, terrifying, and unnerving, feelings alien to the undefeatable Happosai. He was like a mountain, treacherous and unassailable, looming as the ultimate challenge and test for the spirit.

And yet, there was this force that warded him off, and shook him from his self-made pedestal.

If he stayed though, he risked withdrawals, his addiction to the feminine form threatening to leave him helpless. His greatest joy was also his greatest weakness, but few could take advantage of it. The charge he got from his touches was akin to plants converting sunlight into food.

But that wasn't to say he was like a plant, as he often used the energy he got from the pretty girls to fight with. It was this added energy that accounted for his often cursed stamina, as he didn't need to waste his own energy. Oh, how he wished his idiot pupils were here, so he could have some fun "training" them.

Also, he'd like to beat them within an inch of their lives for trapping him in that damnable cave.

He shrugged, feeling his age once more, unable to accurately gauge the years he had lost. Were they even alive? Were their children already raising children of their own? How was he to feel with the knowledge that his pupils, so many years his junior, had passed on before him?

For a moment, he allowed his emotions to flow free through him. While he wasn't one to shun his emotions, giving into them made him feel all the more old and feeble. That meagerness, beyond all else, was what he hated the most.

But he was unable to remove it, as he continued to stare the long years in the face as they drifted by on the tides of eternity.

He had given up too much for the power he had attained, strrayed too far down a rain slicked precipice towards a pit of regrets. Too many companions turned away, too many students fled, all too often, he was left alone. The scars that had been left over the years had grown to a dull ache, unable to affect him like they had in his youth.

Of all his pupils, only those two idiots stayed. Soun and Genma, two bumbling fools who had stumbled out into his view, had stayed through every insane training exercise he could think of. Though they betrayed him in the end, they had done the exact same thing he had done to his master.

So he would forgive their betrayal, as he was a magnanimous being, befitting one with the title of Grandmaster.

…Or maybe it was just because he figured Soun's daughters had grown to womanhood by now. One could never tell with the warped mind of Happosai, such as he was. A simple enigma, a two piece puzzle that had already been solved.

And thus, Happosai would continue to thrive, too challenging to beat. Too experienced to be dismissed, too crafty to be ignored. The people of Nerima would soon remember history's greatest pervert, and they would know despair.

Soon, oh so very soon, the storm would worsen as the chaos descended further.

- - -

Haircare sighed as she climbed out of bed, another damnable day working at this hellhole called a restaurant. She was a warrior! She was important to the future of the tribe, and yet she had to bow her head to ignorant outsiders who looked down on her like a piece of meat.

The time she wasted working here could be used to train and become stronger. It was bad enough that the gap between herself and Shampoo hadn't closed any, but to be denied the opportunity to close was maddening. Her "beloved" elder, the old bitty who picked her to fill her slake, continued to torment her at every turn.

It was likely the old crone had learned of her minor infractions, but that did not give her the right to humiliate her like this.

That purple haired trollop had been blessed by the gods above with amazing capabilities. It sickened Har to listen to the whispers about that naïve ditz being a genius. Shampoo glided through life on the back of that genius claim, one that had to surely be fabricated by her great-grandmother.

Shampoo, a genius? The very idea made Har want to throw up. How could she be a genius, when she didn't work as hard everyone else had to for their skills? The so called genius couldn't even make friends with anyone else, simply by her infuriating attitude of superiority.

If Shampoo was a genius, then Har surely was a Goddess.

The purple haired object of Har's brooding was quietly training in the empty restaurant. She hadn't been able to sleep, the excitement of seeing Ranma bridge the gap between himself and Cologne had filled her with a newfound desire. While she would live the life of an exile from now on, she didn't mind it as much as she did when she first came to that decision.

Anego was here now, along with Ranma to make her feel welcomed. Though she knew that she'd never live up to the potential she had, being an elder wasn't in her heart. They were feared to the point of respect, something she didn't feel she could be.

Fierce in battle, passionate in pursuit of love, but all that hid was the kind heart underneath.

"Oh, you're actually training for once?" Har called sarcastically as she came down into the dining room.

"Shampoo train all time, even on road looking for Ranma." Shampoo answered, not even acknowledging her hated foe.

"I find that hard to believe," the brown hair girl said as she walked over and stood in front of Shampoo.

"Shampoo no care if stupid Har believe her or not." the purple hair girl said in response, going back to her kata without pause.

"Hah, you still can't speak Japanese properly." Har laughed, slapping her knee.

"Shampoo no care to speak Japanese properly, smart people understand anyways." Shampoo answered with a cold tone of indifference.

"Bah." Har snapped, crossing her arms and looking away.

"Why you no train? If so obsessed with Shampoo and her training, why you no train?" Shampoo asked, not even caring if she got an answer.

"Because she's too stupid to do it unless someone tells her to." Cologne answered, hopping into the room.

"Anego say boastful people often stupid and lazy, easy to outthink." Shampoo said, barely acknowledging her great-grandmother, but enough not to draw the old woman's wrath.

"Oh please, don't tell me you listen to some outsider," Har said with a dismissive sniff.

A finger suddenly poked her in the back of the head.

"You're dead," Nabiki said, smirking at the surprised girl.

"Kukukuku," Cologne laughed, having spotted the girl long before she had even gotten into the room. "How amusing to see some outsider just sneak up on you with a basic hunting technique."

"Silent like the forest," Nabiki said with a wink, twirling her fingers before turning to Shampoo. "Good morning, Aibo. Nice to see you warmed up."

"Good morning, Anego." Shampoo said, smiling to her friend as she stopped her training. "Shampoo see you like dress."

"It's nice, and a lot less restrictive than a gi." Nabiki said, posing a bit in the dress as Har continued to stare dumbfounded at the middle Tendo. "Besides, I figured I'd match the training grounds."

"More like Kasumi and Ranma no let train in dress at home." Shampoo said, drawing an embarrassed blush from Nabiki, and another laugh from Cologne.

"Ever the comedienne aren't you?" Cologne said, before she hopped off towards the back. "Allow me to show you to your training grounds for today."

"How the hell did she do that?" Har asked the empty room.

Only silence greeted her.

- - -

Akane trained like mad in the dojo, wondering where Nabiki went this morning. Since it was Sunday, there was no school today, but Kasumi said Nabiki had left before breakfast. Her lazy sister, getting up early? It was enough to make her want to faint.

Bad enough that Ranma was too busy sparring with both fathers to ready them for the first classes of the dojo in quite a while, but she had quietly been left out of said spar. Even with Nabiki gone, Ranma couldn't bring himself to spend time with his rightful fiancée. It was almost like he didn't want Nabiki to think he was cheating on her with her sister.

It was probably why the dummy had a hairdo more like Nabiki's than Ranma's.

He was hers, love and all other confusing emotions be damned! Nabiki pushed him on her, she had dropped her chance to claim him. It was just like her cold and unfeeling sister to try and get the maximum amount of hurt out of this.

There was no way she'd watch Nabiki ruin Ranma. Spoil the only boy that was truly worth a damn anymore. Why couldn't she just step aside and let Akane have what was rightfully hers? Why did she have to continue to mess up everything for her own gain and amusement?

Unbidden, tears pounded on the floor as she pounded the dummy.

It wasn't fair, to have her immoral sibling as competition. She wouldn't compete with honor, or even on the level of a woman. Her underhanded and dirty tricks would give her all the advantage she'd need to sink her claws into that perfect flesh.

Another sob, followed by a splintering crash as the dummy stand shattered under the force of the blow. Oh how like fate to give her hope of the perfect boy, only to deny her the chance to love him as only she could. She could see it all, the using, abusing, and the cold husk that would be left of Ranma.

Her sobs increased, and yet no one came.

Where was her father, the one who fought away all the monsters under her bed? Where was Kasumi, the motherly sister who made everything ok again just by existing? Where was Ranma, the boy who had wrenched her into this emotionally vulnerable world without warning?

Alone, she was alone. By her own negligence, she allowed Nabiki to set up her schemes, start laying the traps for him. She stood by as Ranma walked like an entranced sailor to Nabiki's siren song. Stood by as he got closer, oh so closer, to that maw that would devour him.

Tears slowed as anger burned through her, the tiny black part of her soul feeding on this naked hatred.

Roaring, she pounced on the dummy and began pummeling it. She imagined it was a myriad of things, all grotesque and disgusting. Blows rained down as the tears rampaged back to life.

Here she was, crying her eyes out over a boy who didn't even understand the damage he had done to her. He was outside, oblivious to the tears that were cause by his mere existence. Nabiki would shed no tears, would never feel this level of pain.

"Why?" she whispered, shaking the remains of the dummy. "Why, Nabiki, WHY?!"

"Why am I all alone, crying while you continue to coast through the world unblemished by the taint of sorrow? Why do you get to keep your heart guarded from life's pain while mine is trampled?"

She sniffled, before she settled into a seated position, knees up to her chin. Slowly, she rocked back and forth.

"What did I do to you for you to hurt me as deeply as you have?"

Her head buried itself against her knees.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

- - -

Ranma stood across the yard from Soun and Genma. He was finally getting a chance to see the Tendo branch in action. His anticipation was palpable, his blood singing against his veins as he waited for the spar to begin.

He was all but chomping at the bit for this. He hadn't even gotten a glimpse at Soun's true skills, hadn't even the slightest peek at them. Now, here it was, the chance to learn of his school's sister branch's strength.

And now, more than ever, he was ready.

They all rushed at one another at the unspoken signal, a three way battle erupting in the early Sunday morning. Punches flew, kicks snapped, and the air sang of a battle of respect and honor. There'd be no cheap shots, no underhanded moves, just the art on display for all eyes to see.

It was more of a dance, weaving about the yard with grace. Feints within feints played out across the grass covered stage, amazing blocks thrown at just the right time. After a few minutes, the three broke apart and stared the others down.

Pure, unadulterated, joy of three people displaying their greatest passion.

Again, they rushed at each other. The blows flew and mingled together in a strange kind of symphony. Grins plastered the faces of the fighters as they continued to battle it out.

- - -

Nabiki stood across from Shampoo, her hands grasping at the heavy sticks that Cologne had given her. They were, in Cologne's words, meant to teach her how to use heavy weapons in each hands. After all, she had no training in using bonbori like Shampoo, who wanted to train with and without weapons.

Though they were unfamiliar, Nabiki would use them without fail. She knew Ranma would adapt to any new wrinkle put in front of him, and so too would she. Experimentally, she swung them, unconsciously mimicking taiko drumming.

Cologne smiled as she watched the ex-groom's helper slowly adapt to the sticks.

Shampoo was far, far better than Nabiki, there was no way around it. But this wasn't competition, this was training to make Nabiki stronger. While she held no illusions her kin would win with ease, she expected a decent showing from this girl.

This girl, the child of that martial artist she had met in the forest. No doubt, she had learned that sneaking trick from her father, who had used the same technique to mask himself. The family interested her, far beyond their connection to the ex-groom, but on a curiosity that she couldn't quell.

Where had they picked up such a peculiar style?

"Ready, Aibo?" Nabiki said, raising the sticks. "I'm attacking first."

"Come with it, Anego," Shampoo said, affecting a defensive pose.

"Toh!" Nabiki called, coming in with a vertical downswing of her right stick, flowing into a left thrust when Shampoo dodged.

"Hah!" Shampoo grunted, brushing aside the thrust.

Like water, Nabiki flowed into a dazzling combination of swings and swats. Like smoke, Shampoo flitted away from each attack, before blocking the last. With a grunt, Shampoo easily pushed Nabiki back. Pressing her advantage, she charged forward with a sweeping series of swings and thrusts, each just missing Nabiki.

Shampoo obviously wasn't trying to hit Nabiki, but she wasn't going to allow the other girl a single hit. In this primitive world, Shampoo stood at the top as a savage queen, snarling at all who sought to take her crown. All of Nabiki's efforts were squandered as Shampoo efficiently blocked and avoided every strike. Eventually the sticks finally shattered from the strain put on them, leaving kindling in the neophyte's hands.

In her element, in this world, Shampoo wouldn't lose to anyone, save he who would claim her as his.

"Whew, not bad Aibo." Nabiki said, dancing lightly from foot to foot as she loosened herself up. "Ready for the next part?"

"As ever, Anego." Shampoo answered, an even look on her face.

Once more, Nabiki lead off, throwing a graceful right roundhouse. Again, Shampoo denied her the satisfaction of a hit. Nabiki flowed like water once more, pressing the self-exiled Amazon back momentarily. But again, Shampoo fell into that world, and imperiously denied Nabiki again.

Back and forth they danced, Nabiki frantically throwing herself away from Shampoo's calm swings, while her frantic attacks met air. No matter the feint, it would never hit. This was the strength of the Amazon genius, one that would never be surpassed by hard work alone.

Gifted though she may seem, Nabiki simply wasn't even on the same plane as Shampoo.

Effortlessly, Shampoo pressed Nabiki, trapping her in her routines, tapping her vulnerable spots. Methodically, as though her eyes could see the future itself, she countered everything Nabiki could do before she could do it. Feints were useless, trapping impossible, and victory dangled from the highest point.

The mountain that was Shampoo was unassailable. No mere girl, training for no more than a handful of weeks could hope to find a foothold. Among the Amazons, she was called the perfect fighter, cold, ruthless, a living, breathing fortress. Her punches were likened to the blow from a flail, her kicks to arrows. Her bonbori, like ballistae.

On this early Sunday morning, Nabiki stared into the cold eyes of the fortress, stared into defeat itself.

"Ah well… I yield." Nabiki said, with false disappointment. Shampoo had devoted her whole life to this stuff, she couldn't compete with her just off a few pointers from Ranma.

"Not worry, Anego." Shampoo said, her voice regaining its humanity. "You do well not getting frustrated. Shampoo is too-too strong, Anego too-too wise."

"Unlike other people we know," Cologne muttered, nodding appreciatively at the efforts of the middle Tendo.

"It was a great workout, no matter what." Nabiki said, stretching a bit. "Hey, I got an hour to kill, how about I help out around here for a while?"

"That would be fine, my dear." Cologne answered, internally smiling maniacally. 'Manual labor get!'

- - -

"Whew," Ranma said from his back. "That was one hell of a spar."

"Indeed, my boy, indeed." Genma intoned, nodding his head briskly from his back.

"I think, I'll be ready for that class." Soun said, breathing heavy from his back.

"Yeah…" Ranma said, staring up at the blue sky above. "Ah… it's so blue."

"It's calming in a way." Genma added, putting his hands behind his head.

"Hey, that cloud looks familiar." Soun said, pointing at an odd-shaped cloud.

"Yeah, but what is it?" Ranma asked, trying to think about it.

"I think it's a melon." Genma said, shrugging his shoulders.

"No way Saotome, it's definitely a pizza." Soun said, looking over at his friend with more than a little hostility in his voice.

"Want to make something of it Tendo?" Genma said, suddenly shooting to his knees, Soun following his move.

"Oh brother," Ranma grumbled, springing to his feet and walking away.

"You're wrong Tendo!" Genma growled, grabbing Soun by the front of his gi.

"No, it's you who is wrong, Saotome!" Soun yelled, grabbing Genma by the front of his gi.

"Oh my," Kasumi said, coming out of the house and over to the scuffling men, "what are you fighting about?"

"Kasumi, dear," Soun said, shoving Genma. "Do you know what that is?" He pointed at the odd-shaped cloud.

"Of course Daddy." she said, a smile creasing her face.

"And that is?" Genma asked, shoving Soun back.

"A cloud of course." she answered, smiling brightly.

Predictably, the two men face faulted.

- - -

Nabiki entered Ucchan's with Shampoo in tow. The ex-Amazon was given the day off so the old ghoul could torment Haircare some more. While Nabiki couldn't understand the old woman's desire to torment the airhead, she wasn't going to argue with her.

Ukyo took note of the two people who came in, newcomers by her memory. Something about them spiked her interest, but she wasn't going to waste her time thinking of it. Up went the façade, and she was ready for them.

"Hello, welcome to Ucchan's!" she drawled with a syrupy cheer. "What can I get for you two?"

"Two specials please." Nabiki said, Shampoo having whispered her order to Nabiki before she ordered. "That's one for each of us." She placed the required amount of yen on the counter.

"I know, sugar, this isn't my first time taking such an order." Ukyo answered, rolling her eyes. Before Nabiki could protest, Ukyo exploded into action. Her movements were measured with the mark of experience, her grace belied her down-to-Earth charm. By the time the okonomiyaki was served, both Nabiki and Shampoo knew beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Kuonji Ukyo, number 1 okonomiyaki chef in Japan.

"Wow that is really good." Nabiki said, nodding her head as she digested the flavors.

"Aiyah… so delicious." Shampoo agreed, eyes closing as she savored the okonomiyaki.

"Why thank you." Ukyo said, pride shining through.

"I got to tell the others about this," Nabiki said, finishing her okonomiyaki. "I'm sure they'll go crazy about it." Shampoo finished hers as well.

"I hope you do spread the word, as I want people to experience the best okonomiyaki in Japan." Ukyo said, turning away from the two.

"Shampoo wonder if Ranma like this." Shampoo whispered to Nabiki, as the two left the shop.

"Of course he will, Ranma loves food." Nabiki answered, being quiet as she didn't quite like Ukyo's attitude.

- - -

There was no more putting it off. No more time to squander waiting for Nabiki to come clean. It was time for Akane to set things straight, time to put right what had went so horridly wrong.

She sighed, sitting quietly in her room. Nabiki had yet to return from wherever she had went, which gave Akane all the more time to steel herself for the coming confrontation. Her sister, with her serpentine tongue, would be no easy foe to conquer. She was a foe not of fists, but of words, of cunning lies and subtle manipulations.

Blood marked them sisters, honor marked them strangers.

Nabiki skated through life, using people without thought or care for how they might feel. There was nothing sacred to Nabiki, she who would be willing to sell Kami-sama Himself out for a few yen. Family honor forced her to swallow her demonic sibling's antics, forced her to look away as Nabiki took from everyone else.

The limits of human decency were stretched and skirted by her sister, whose lust for money rivaled the perversity of Kuno. She sighed, shaking her head clear of the nasty thoughts circling through her mind, knowing that such pettiness would only allow her to escape from the truth. There would be no escape, no more meddling, only the truth.

Ranma was hers, and Nabiki would just have to live with it.

- - -

With a sigh, Nabiki walked through the front gate with Shampoo in tow. She was still restless even after a morning of activity. There was something prickling on the edge of her mind, a portent of ill will directed at her by someone.

Nabiki didn't care at the moment, as she was looking forward to talking to Ranma. Her friend had been helpful in bringing her back down from the icy depths she had frozen herself in. For the longest time, she used people without a care, because they weren't real to her. They couldn't hurt, because they were simply obstacles life had thrown at her. No remorse, no mercy, just an icy smirk and a cold humor.

But Ranma had thawed her out, showed her how real the world around her was.

Only now did she realize the pain, the suffering she had inflicted over the years on all around her. Without care, she had dumped Kuno onto Akane, dumped Ranma on her sister as well. Akane was tough, she told herself, besides, she loved the attention anyways.

If only it were that simple, that plain. The pain that had surfaced on the day Akane's crush on Doctor Tofu fizzled was eye opening. For the first time, perhaps since her mother died, she felt real honest remorse for her actions. It lasted for all of a second, maybe two, before it too froze in the ice.

She, The Ice Queen, couldn't have any weakness right?

And so, she continued to coast along, until that night happened, that night which wrenched her eyes opened. The effects were minor at first, but slowly they started to surface. The ice had always shut out the whispers, the hate, the anger, but she was left naked without her ultimate armor. Alone she had sat under that tree on the hill, that place that had been her haven when she was little.

For the first time, Nabiki felt truly small and insignificant. That feeling of utter despair had hit her hard, leaving her raw and open. What the hell was she doing, crying like a child begging for its mother, she who was above such human meagerness? She who stared down imperiously from her icy throne and mocked those who she saw as prey and nothing more.

She who traded away her humanity for a tidy sum and an endless hunger for money.

The ruthless crusher of dreams was reduced to a sobbing mass as ten years of bottled emotions poured out in a thunderous torrent. Each sob was met with a scornful laugh, the laugh of everyone who had ever been reduced to tears by Nabiki's heartless actions. This pain, this hurt long buried, threatened to crush her under a tidal wave of misery.

At first, she never noticed his approach, nor did she noticed his presence. Looming over her, silently watching her with passive eyes, was Ranma. Impassive, unmoving, like a statute, he simply stared down at the sobbing girl in front of him. By the time she noticed him, it was too late for her to recover, too late for her to make up some excuse to send him away.

Eyes brimmed with tears, she turned away from him in shame.

"Why…?" came his soft whisper, not registering much of a reaction from Nabiki.

"Why… hic what, Sao hic tome?" she asked, trying to stop her crying.

"Why are crying?" he asked, causing her to try and wipe away the tears.

"I-I'm not crying…" she said, a fake smile on her face, delicate and fragile. The mask of ruthless ice had been reduced to cracked porcelain.

"Is that why your eyes are red?" he asked, causing her smile to fade as a meek expression slowly sunk onto her face.

"I.. I… what are you doing here Saotome?" she said, not understanding his presence here.

"I saw you run away from school, so I followed you to make sure you were ok." he said, with a shrug.

"That's all?" she whispered, disbelief frank in her voice.

"Why else?" he asked, shrugging again.

"Heh, heh," she giggled, before she dissolved into a full blown gale of laughter. Ranma for his part stood there not knowing what the hell was going on.

"What's so funny?" he asked, scratching his head.

"Just the realization that I kept believing that everyone else was just like me." she answered, looking up at the sky, a light breeze blowing her hair which only served to mess it up more.

"Ah…" he answered, studying her out of the corner of his eye as he too looked up at the sky. "The sky is so blue…"

"Mmmm…" she hummed, staring at the lazy clouds floating by. "It's rather nice out today."

"Yeah," he said, before he smiled, closing his eyes. "When I feel sad, I like to come out on to hills or even rooftops and stare at the sky. It's rather relaxing."

"That's a good idea," she said, craning her head to the right and covertly looking over at him. "I might have to do that some time."

"Maybe I could join you on those times," he said, before hastily adding, "so you won't feel lonely or nothin' like that."

'If he had half a brain, he could be a real charmer,' she thought, a pleasant feeling despite the addendum made by Ranma. "Sounds like a good idea, Saotome."

"Uh-huh." he said, bobbing his head a bit in agreement.

"So... wanna be friends?" she asked, with a shy smile.

"Friends eh?" he said, pretending to mull it over. "Only if you promise to call me Ranma when we're not at school."

"Deal," she said, extending her hand. "And you can call me Nabiki when we're not at school."

Almost shyly, Ranma reached out and shook Nabiki's hand, a broad smile on his face. For the short moment the contact lasted, Nabiki savored his touch. With the wind stirring the stray blossoms into the air around them, the connection was made.

On this hill of promise, Nabiki's heart had been saved. The memory still made Nabiki smile, as she rested her back against one of the pillars of the porch. Idly she waved Shampoo on into the house, just enjoying the feel of the breeze on her skin. A friendship made that short time ago had been strengthened through the trial Ranma had endured at the hands of Cologne. Nabiki shivered, still remembering that look, that look she continued to see in her dreams. What these dreams signified, Nabiki did not know, and for now, she was content with that.

For what we dream of in the heart, are the grandest dreams of all.

- - -

Akane sat by her door, waiting on the proverbial Godot as her resolve strengthened. Today, she would put Nabiki behind her as a challenger for Ranma. There was no more to this confrontation than that, just a simple straightening out.

While she was technically the younger sister, Akane often believed herself to be more mature than Nabiki. Her older sister was a notorious prankster, a mischievous girl who behaved more like a fourteen year old than a seventeen year old. Nabiki's behavior often proved to Akane that one's age did not show one's maturity.

Of course, she was so zoned in on Nabiki's shortcomings she completely blanked out her own childish spats with Ranma.

The sound of Nabiki's door opening and closing brought Akane from her contemplations. It was showtime, time for Akane to set the record straight on everything and stop this little competition before Nabiki got hurt. After all, what did her callous older sister have to appeal to Ranma?

Akane stepped out into the hallway before turning and knocking on the door.

"Yes?" Nabiki called, who was in the middle of changing out of that Chinese dress.

"Nabiki, it's me." Akane said, her hand starting to turn the knob.

"Hey, hold it Akane, I'm changing in here." Nabiki called, down to her bra and panties at this point.

"...We're sisters Nabiki, we used to bath nude together when we were kids." Akane said crossly at the door.

"It's the principle of the thing." Nabiki snapped back, leafing through her clothes and throwing on a t-shirt.

"I'm coming in whether you want me to or not." Akane said, grabbing the door knob again.

"You do and Kuno gets a lingerie calendar of you for all twelve months." Nabiki yelled back, still debating on jeans or shorts.

"You wouldn't dare!" Akane hissed back, trying to burn a hole through the door.

"Do I barge into your room uninvited?" Nabiki asked, slipping on a pair of jeans.

"No, but it shouldn't be an issue." Akane answered, grumbling under her breath.

"So I can come into your room whenever I want?" Nabiki asked, now seated on the bed.

"What, NO!?" Akane shouted.

"Okay then, I expect you to listen when I say to wait." Nabiki said, before she got up and unlocked the door. "Come in."

"Oh thank you, your majesty." Akane sniped with impressive venom. She opened the door and stopped just on the threshold. "Why were you really trying to keep me out?" Suspicion laced her voice.

"I didn't want you breaking my door." Nabiki answered shrugging her shoulders as she went back towards her bed.

"Why would I break your door?" Akane asked, puzzled now.

"It was locked." Nabiki said simply.

Akane had to clutch the doorframe to keep from face faulting.

- - -

Ranma tried to ignore the ill feeling he was having as he watched Soun conduct his first class of the day. Here was a master, sharing his life's devotion to strangers so that they may know its joy. He smiled as he watched them warm up.

Part of him saw himself standing in front of the class instead of the Tendo patriarch. One day, he'd be spreading the art too, just as Soun was now. One day, he'd have a family all his own, and hopefully a son to raise to be a strong man. He closed his eyes, daydreams over taking him.

If only he could decide on who to marry, maybe he could start making them come true.

- - -

"Nabiki…" Akane said still by her older sister's door, having fully recovered from her near flop. "We need to talk."

"Talk?" Nabiki asked, feigning ignorance. "About what?"

"About Ranma… and your sudden "interest" in him." the younger sister said, her features hardening as her older sister started playing games.

"Oh, THAT." the older sister responded, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "I was wondering when you'd get the backbone to speak up."

"Excuse me?" Akane said archly, crossing her arms and glaring at her sister.

"Come in and shut the door. It's high time we have a sisterly chat about things." Nabiki commanded tersely, sighing internally as Akane bristled at the command. 'She hates boys my foot.'

"Oh yes, sister dear, we're going to chat about this." Akane said darkly as Nabiki sat on her bed.

"Here," Nabiki said, lazily kicking her desk chair out for Akane. "Sit down, or get out."

"Don't give me that put upon attitude." Akane snapped, sitting down while glowering at her sister.

"I'll have whatever attitude I want in my own room, **little** sister." Nabiki snapped back, emphasizing little.

"Oh please, it's only a year between you and me. Don't act like you're Kasumi." Akane answered, eyes narrowing close to be shut.

"Like I was referring to age," Nabiki laughed, eyes rolling.

"Grr... I get enough jokes about my chest from Ranma, I don't need them from you." Akane said, clenching her fists. This wasn't how it was supposed to go, she needed to calm down. Breath, and focus.

"And again, you miss," Nabiki said, shaking her head regally.

"Oh har har," Akane said, sarcasm evident in her laugh. "A joke about my temper, how cute."

"I thought it was funny." Nabiki said, smirking just a little.

"You would." Akane groused, shaking her head.

"Ahem, I believe we have more important things to talk about." Nabiki said, clearing her throat.

"Yes… Ranma." Akane said, focusing herself.

"He has been the center of attention, hasn't he?" Nabiki asked wryly.

"Yeah." Akane said, staring a hole through Nabiki. "You need to stop, Nabiki."

"Stop what?" Nabiki asked, not remembering if she had any scheme running at the moment.

"Whatever scheme you're planning to spring on Ranma." Akane said, hands clenching into fists momentarily. "I'd appreciate it if you'd leave my fiancé alone."

"YOUR fiancé? Did he decide that for himself?" Nabiki asked, face nonplussed by Akane's declaration.

"He's been mine since you and Kasumi decided to dump him on me on his arrival." Akane reminded her sister, pressing any advantage she could get.

"Yeah, but then Daddy overrode that decision, opening the field up again." Nabiki pointed out, shaking her head. "I suppose I was supposed to go, 'gee golly gosh Akane, I'm sorry for whatever misdeed I may have done. Please forgive me and love me as a sister once again, for I cannot bear to be parted from the blazing light that is you.' " Her lips formed a straight line, eyes glimmering with mockery.

"Tch, that's just like you to be childish." Akane snorted, eyes brimmed with disgust. "I come here to end this charade you've put up, and all you do is act like you're the one who's been wronged."

"What charade are you talking about? You mean the whole 'charade' where I've tried to be friends with Ranma?" Nabiki demanded, shooting to her feet. "I knew you were over competitive but this is nuts even by Kuno's standard."

"Oh sure, like you'd just go from selling pictures of Ranma's girl form to anything with enough yen over night." Akane shot back, on her feet now. "Even you know the word friendship means nothing to you. So quit pretending already, you're making me sick and you're upsetting Ranma."

"**I** make **you** sick by trying to mend my 'horrid' ways?" Nabiki asked, her voice raising in volume. "**I** make **you** sick because I don't just continue to live in the perception that you believe I should stay in? You're real piece of work, Akane."

"At least I'm not trying to take something that isn't mine." Akane snapped, hands balling into fists again.

"So Ranma's just a thing now is he? Just an object for you to claim eminent domain over?" Nabiki shouted, getting into Akane's face. "_I_ make _you_ sick? That's fine, because **I.HATE.YOU.**"

Akane rocked back towards the door from that proclamation, her argument dying on her lips.

"I hate the way you dress, the way you eat, the way sigh in your put upon manner like the world isn't _good enoug_h for you." Nabiki screamed, advancing with each proclamation. "I hate the way you cry over things like Kuno and the horde, and yet go back for more from them. I hate the way you place yourself on a pedestal you don't deserve to be on. And I especially hate the way you act put upon by my attempts to strike a legitimate friendship with the man I may have to marry someday."

"N-Nabiki…" Akane stuttered out, trying to grasp some shred of anger to fight back against the juggernaut assault of her older sister.

"I hate you, and everything you stand for. I hate you for every simple minded thought that's dancing through that empty head of yours." Nabiki hollered, shoving Akane back against the door. "I hate you for your unbearable attention whoring, your condescending attitude and that stupid 'pervert' bullshit!"

"W-why?" Akane choked out, eyes beginning to water with tears.

"Cut the crocodile tears, Akane. You're sixteen, the days when you could bawl and have everyone pat you on the head are over." Nabiki snarled, anger spiraling out of control as she sought to crush her sister completely.

"Why do you hate me? Aren't we sisters?!" Akane cried, flat against the door now.

"Oh, _now_ we're sisters?!" Nabiki said, spitting the words. "Funny how when you're cutting me down, it's perfectly fine for you to tell me I make you **sick**, but when it's not all roses for Akane, it's not fair."

"…" Akane's face could only sour like she just drank spoiled milk.

"I make you sick is a sign of sisterly love now?" Nabiki asked, shoving Akane again. "After all, if saying "I hate you" is wrong, then "I make you sick" must be right."

"You've made your point." Akane muttered sullenly. Quickly, she spun around and opened the door.

"Running away huh?" Nabiki asked smugly. "After all, if the great Akane fails to stop the wicked Nabiki from doing unspeakable horrors to the defenseless Ranma, then surely the day has been lost. That's what was hilarious about you Akane, you crowed the longest when you won, and ran the fastest when you lost."

"Just shut up." Akane said, her spirit draining as Nabiki continued to gouge away.

"Shut up? SHUT UP?!" Nabiki scoffed, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "Hah! You come into **my** room, accuse me of some scheme against Ranma, proclaim I make you sick and the instant I turn it around, I have to shut up. That's a great double standard there, little sister."

"Nabiki… just shut up would you?" Akane said quietly, as if she were being quiet to prevent other people from hearing her.

"Oh no, it's time for immature Akane's special technique: be quiet and let Nabiki get into trouble with Daddy. How lovely of you to dust it off for this occasion." Nabiki said dismissively.

"Grr…" Akane snarled, taking a step forward and bring her hand around to slap her taunting sister.

'Heh, not even that will work, Akane.' Nabiki thought derisively. She quickly uncrossed her arms and blocked the slap, coming back in with one of her own.

"Ow!" Akane said, rubbing her cheek.

"Well, talking doesn't work, so now I guess you'll beat me up until I see things your way right?" Nabiki asked, smirking for all her worth.

"Hmph." Akane snorted, before she quickly snatched her sister up by the shirt. "I doubt that'll work, but I know I'll feel better."

"Too bad it won't be that easy, Akane." Nabiki said simply, grabbing her sister's wrists and forcing her fully out into the hallway. "I want you to listen to me Akane, because this is important. You asked me why I hated you, and it's stupid when I think of it. It's base jealousy from when we were little."

"What?" Akane grumbled, grappling with her sister.

"It's the fate of every older sibling to hate their younger sibling on some level, because that sibling took away the specialness that you had before they were born." Nabiki intoned, pushing Akane to the ground. "I was the youngest, and now all I am is the middle child. I'm not the oldest, so I'm not the most important, I'm not the youngest, so I'm not the most favored."

"For that, you hate me?" Akane growled, rolling Nabiki over and trying to pin her to the floor.

"I don't hate you in the enemy sense, but I hate you on a level that's buried deep within me." Nabiki said, an uncaring look on her face. "Blood promotes a sense of love and fealty, pride breeds jealousy and resent. You know what I'm saying is true. How much do I get away with because we're sisters?"

"A lot," Akane admitted, pinning Nabiki down enough to rear back for a punch. "If there was some girl spreading pictures of me around, I'd probably pound her face into the dirt."

"But there are some things that blood can't excuse eh?" Nabiki asked, no fear showing in her eyes as she knew what was coming next.

"That's right, and this is one of them." Akane said, starting to swing before her punch was halted. "What the…?!"

"Akane… stop." Ranma said quietly, staring down at her with eyes filled with a strong emotion.

"Ranma? Why?!" Akane demanded, struggling to get free. "What is it that she's got on you that makes you save her now?"

"My… friendship." he answered slowly, pausing ever so slightly. Without a second thought, he pulled Akane off Nabiki. "You alright, Nabiki?"

"I'm fine," Nabiki said, nodding her thanks as he helped her up.

"I don't care what you two were fighting over, but there's no excuse for the two of you to come to blows like this." Ranma said flatly, tone brooking no argument. "Our fathers, Shampoo and Kasumi are busy out in the dojo, which is why they're not here. If you both don't want to get into trouble, bury it here and forget it."

"There's no way I'd-" Akane started to protested, before she was interrupted.

"Sure thing Ranma, it was just a silly argument that got out of hand." Nabiki said easily, resting an easy hand on his shoulder.

'Why is she..?' Akane thought in confusion, not even noticing her sister touching Ranma. "It's not worth getting into trouble over." She started to skulk over to her room.

"Akane, be glad I came." Ranma said evenly, his voice soothing. "If it had been Shampoo, you'd be on your way to the hospital to get your jaw fixed."

'That's right, I forgot about her new crime partnership with Shampoo.' Akane thought, not looking back at the two. 'And that's where she went this morning. No doubt to extend her circle.'

"Aibo probably would have punched first and asked questions second." Nabiki agreed, nodding her head along.

"Whatever," Akane muttered, storming into her room.

"Whew," Nabiki said, breathing a sigh of relief. "That was tougher than I thought."

"What happened?" Ranma asked, purposely guiding Nabiki downstairs and away from her sister.

"She came into my room and accused me of having some kind of scheme involving you somehow." Nabiki answered, deciding that lying wouldn't help her here. "If I read between the lines, she's actually saying I'm stealing you from her."

"So what, I'm a loaned hairbrush that wasn't returned on time now?" Ranma asked, using an analogy Kasumi had once used to try and describe the relationship between the younger two Tendo sisters.

"To her? Maybe. But for right now, you're my friend." Nabiki said, coming to the bottom of the stairs before she turned fully to him. "Later? I have no clue. What I feel for you is… complex. Is it enough to decide if I want to marry you? Not right now." As she finished, she embraced Ranma, pouring affection into the hug.

"Mmmm…" Ranma replied, very slightly hugging back. 'And maybe… I feel that way about you too.' His eyes filled with that emotion again, the same as that day when he had stared at her then.

'I… I think I recognize that emotion.' Nabiki thought, trying to puzzle it out internally. 'Could it be… love? Nah, that's just wishful thinking.'

'Warm…' Ranma thought faintly, a smile creasing his face. 'It feels so warm…'

Quietly, the two held each for a while, two hearts trying to communicate and find out if it really is love…

End Chapter 18

Teaser for Chapter 19:

"So how's it going, Saotome?" Nabiki asked as the pigtailed boy as he approached her at lunch.

"Not much Tendo-san," Ranma answered as he sat down at Nabiki's table. "Just trying to get through the day."

"How's Akane doing?" she asked, trying to pretend like she wasn't interested in the answer.

"Oh, she was moody today, a bit grumpy too." he said, ticking off on his fingers. "She even got sent to the hall for snapping at our English teacher."

"I see," she said, humming a bit at her sister's behavior. "Well, at least she isn't taking it out on you."

"That's what's weird about it." he said, shaking his head. "It's almost like she's fighting herself about that."

"Better than her fighting you, right?" she said, a friendly smile on her face.

"Maybe…" he said, looking up at the sky.

Author notes: Well, it's over. The big confrontation has gone down, and well, it's a bitch contest between the two Tendos contesting for Ranma. I think I balanced it out, showing both sisters in a bad light here. I don't care if you agree, and if you don't, don't bother telling me. This isn't YOUR story, it's mine, and I'll tell it how I please. Later.


	19. It's Too Late to Apologize

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½, Viz communications and Rumiko Takahashi, I own nothing, so please go out and buy Ranma products to support the people who do.

Author note: So basically I lost Internet access, then my old computer died, took forever to replace it, and when I did, it was old enough to call ENIAC dad. So now that I got a more up to date computer, I continue writing this story. So now we deal with the fall out of Nabiki versus Akane, as well as build towards a few more things.

First I Giveth

Chapter 19 It's Too Late to Apologize

by Marik Kurakashi

It was morning at Ucchan's, which usually meant a flurry of activity to get ready for the early bird crowd. But curiously, the restaurant that housed the best okonomiyaki chef in Japan was dead quiet, as though its mistress wasn't actually willing to display her craft this day. The time of day had no bearing on this, as she was awake and in good health.

No, the reason why the shop was closed was because the owner was expecting a visitor that she couldn't give the proper amount of attention required. This meeting was far too important to be put off, and couldn't be rescheduled until next week. And by then, it could be far too late for it to be of any use to the vengeance seeking chef. Besides, this meeting had to be handled as delicately as possible, just so Ukyo could get everything she wanted out of it.

Meetings with Yasuri Kaede always had to be handled with caution, especially if she liked you.

Kaede was considered a genius in many fields, medicine her foremost one. They would whisper as she passed, as if she was some super healer that could heal even the most gruesome of injuries. But she ignored them and their light, as she wasn't someone who fit into society's normal kinks.

Sure, she was pretty by most standards, long black hair and smoky gray eyes made her seem all the more mysterious than she probably was. Her figure was appealing by a large number of standards, not that she really cared. She was always called names by most guys, simply because she had no interest in them or their petty macho attitudes.

Being a genius is nice, but Kaede always doubted people would be so complimenting of her if they knew she was a lesbian.

When she had met Ukyo, the Kuonji girl was in middle school, she herself just starting high school. The cross dressing girl had targeted her in order to throw off questions about whether Ukyo liked girls. She still thought it funny that Ukyo had essentially been gay to keep from being accused of being gay.

In fact, she had mentioned that when she found out Ukyo was actually a girl. It had been cute to see the younger girl bluster about not being gay, before she chastely apologized for tricking her into a date with another girl. The owlish look on the cross dressing chef's face when Kaede unveiled her preference in bed partners still made her laugh to this day, no matter the situation.

And that was probably why she always teased the girl whenever they got together.

She was puzzled though, as it had been months since she had even heard from Ukyo. Once the shock wore off from how urgent the girl sounded, she had managed a quick teasing remark about knowing her old flame would come around to see things from Kaede's perspective. To say that she had gotten yelled at for that would be like saying that tossing propane on a fire was a bad idea. Her hearing had just returned in that ear just a scant few hours ago.

It didn't matter, as she knew that Ukyo only got that mad at her when it WAS important. This wasn't just a call to check up on old friends, the girl must have been close to finding the objects of her supreme wrath. If that was the case, she might have to call in sick for a few days to nurse the poor girl back to health.

Now if only that girl wouldn't violently object to her ideas on bedside manner...

- - -

Back at Ucchan's, Ukyo nervously paced the floor of her restaurant. Kaede was always a handful, what with her flirtatious behavior and her hint dropping ways. It was painfully obvious to the girl pretending to be a boy that the older girl carried a bit of a torch for the young chef.

If this was a girl from her past that didn't know her secret, she wouldn't be so apprehensive about it. But this girl KNEW about it, and if anything, was MORE excited about Ukyo being a girl than she had thought anyone would be. Having been told bluntly that the genius Yasuri was a lesbian still did nothing to soften the blow whenever the girl made a pass at her.

After that line about bathing together so Kaede could wash the men right out of her hair with a special blend of shampoo, Ukyo had always minded her words.

Not that it helped, as Kaede seemed like a pro at turning her words against her in whatever fashion she pleased. The embarrassment she faced today was probably why the shop was closed, plus no one knew she was a she in this area. With Kaede's merciless teasing, she couldn't control her octave range well enough to avoid letting her secret out.

But that was the least of her concerns, as she was asking her friend to break the law by bringing her something from the clinic she worked at. She'd endure all of the girl's flirting and teasing, just so she could get what she had requested without too much fuss. This package was vital to her revenge, almost as much as the training she had put herself through.

And if push came to shove, she would take it by force if necessary.

There was a loud knock on the door, which served to stir the young chef from her violent thoughts. Steeling herself with one more deep breath, she quickly got up and answered the door. She said nothing, just stared at her tormentor who held so many things in her hands.

"Not much of a greeter in the morning are you?" Kaede said with a bored drawl.

"And what if I'm not?" Ukyo snapped back, unconsciously putting more boy into her voice than she had wanted.

"Hey hey, no harm no foul." the part-time nurse said, holding her hands up to ward off the chef's anger.

"Alright then." the owner of the shop snapped back, before resuming her march towards the main counter of the restaurant.

"So this is your place huh?" Kaede said off-hand, treading carefully to loosen up Ukyo for later. "Looks rather comfy, y'know? Kinda homey too."

"Thanks, Kaede." Ukyo said softly, repressing her overtly friendly nature in the hopes of stopping the teasing before it starts.

"No problem," Kaede responded, biting back the teasing jab she was going to throw out. "Anyways, what was so important I had to hop on the first train here?"

"I think I may be getting close to those two..." Ukyo said, her face twisting into a snarl while she trailed off. "And your job allows you to help me invaluably."

"You want me to nurse them back to health so you can pound them again after you're done the first time?" Kaede asked, smirking a little. Not that they'd get healthy under her watchful gaze...

"What? No, the muscle relaxants I asked for." Ukyo said, shaking her head briskly. "That fat thief is good at running away, so I figured I'd slow him down a bit with them."

"So that's why you needed me to forge that prescription eh?" Kaede asked, receiving a confirming nod for her query. "What do I get for risking my job?"

"Money of course," Ukyo said, before holding up a hand to stop the impending come-on. "You'll never get THAT out of me."

"Oh come on," Kaede whined, pouting and leaning forward to expose a bit of her cleavage. "I could get fired for this, and probably even go to jail."

"And wouldn't you be the happiest inmate on the block?" Ukyo snapped back, while retreating a step to prevent Kaede from pressing her breasts into her face.

"Maybe, maybe... but I'd miss you sooooo much!" Kaede said, pouncing towards the other girl.

"Damn it, KNOCK IT OFF!" Ukyo roared, rolling away and placing a threatening hand on her battle spatula, before she let loose a ragged breath. "Don't do that again, I might not be able to hold myself back."

"Shit, those two still really grind your gears huh?" Kaede said, backing off and readjusting her top for a slight bit of modesty.

"Everyday of my life I wake up in a state of perpetual anger." Ukyo answered, turning away from the other girl. "Hell, I even beat up a guy, just because he was pettily chasing after Ranma for some embarrassing slight that he didn't have the balls to tell me what it was."

"You don't think that guy was..." Kaede said, trailing off and using hands signs to imply that the guy was gay.

"I doubt it was that," Ukyo said, shaking her head. "He probably got beat up by that fucker, and was embarrassed by it."

"Ah ha, his wound male ego won't tolerate him to lose eh?" Kaede asked, rubbing her chin. "Did a number on the guy huh?"

"Used a hana seki to down him." the battle chef answered back, as she went behind the grill and started cooking some seafood okonomiyaki.

"Hana seki(flower burst)? Shouldn't that be kona seki (flour burst)?" Kaede asked, scratching her head.

"I like flowers better than flour?" Ukyo asked with a sheepish grin, serving up the okonomiyaki.

"It's your attack," Kaede said, grabbing the proffered food and digging in. "Think he's dead?"

"Nah, I didn't have time to mix a lethal amount of gunpowder in to kill him." Ukyo said, nibbling on her own.

"But say you're wrong and he is dead." Kaede persisted, staring at Ukyo. "Then what?"

"Then he's..." Ukyo started, pausing to reign in the strong feeling of despair flowing through her. "Then he's dead I guess."

"Gee, that's awful callow of you, isn't it? Not even a prayer for safe passage to his ancestors?" Kaede asked, eyes filled with shock.

"Then he shouldn't have pissed me off!" Ukyo snapped, hands shaking a little to belie the harsh attitude. "I'm on a mission of revenge! I may have to kill either one or both of them. If I pause to bemoan the death of some jackass who didn't have enough sense to defend himself properly, then how could I carry out my mission?"

'_She does care, it's just she can't show it._' Kaede thought, before speaking to placate her friend. "You're right, but can you say you honestly believe that?"

"I have to..." Ukyo said quietly, turning away to finish eating, unable to look at her friend at the moment in light of the questions. "I have to..."

Wordlessly, Kaede got up and came around the counter, coming to a stop behind Ukyo and embrace her gently. The other girl started to try and struggle free, before she calmed and sank back when she realized Kaede wasn't trying to cop a feel. Ignoring the sensation of breasts poking into her back, Ukyo tried to resteel herself for her battle with the Saotomes.

'_I always wanted to hold you, Ukyo.'_ Kaede thought, enjoying just the feel of contact with her emotionally charged friend. '_I never thought it'd be like this, but I...'_

'I like it all the same...'

- - -

It was easy to say that Tendo Nabiki was not a morning person, a fact that she'd tell you herself...for a price naturally. There was no point in giving away information, important or not, away for no cost to the inquirer. As such, she had gained a well-earned, a very proud of, reputation as a mercenary, one who would do just about anything for the right price.

Naturally, she wouldn't do THAT, but anything short of that was fair game. Sure, she shouldn't have taken advantage of Akane like she had been, but ill-tempered sibling often DID take it in stride so much that she pretty much forgot that Akane ever really minded. Oh, she knew that Akane did, but she gave up caring after the first few protests carried no threat of physical violence.

Of course, that changed yesterday, when her little sister had been ready to pound her face in for some perceived scheme against Ranma.

Luckily for her, Ranma had arrived to stop Akane, stop Akane from a huge mistake of making an enemy out of her. Even with her recent rededication to martial arts, the reason she was even cognizant at this blasted hour, she knew she couldn't truly challenge her sister in the physical realm of combat yet. But there was more than one way to fight, there were ways to win a battle without a single punch being thrown, something Nabiki was close to a master at.

Sure, Akane HAD been driven to physical violence, but that was Nabiki's intent the entire time she had browbeaten her younger sister. There was nothing disarming about railing on every flaw, real or imagined, every single insecurity that you could think of at that moment. One does not stop a spear thrust by handing it to the wielder, then goading them into doing said action.

As far as Nabiki was concerned, a few facial bruises would have been worth the satisfaction of proving to her little sister just how much of a violent maniac she really was.

It was a sad fact about the youngest Tendo, Nabiki mused, that she did have her bouts with self-control and discipline. Sure, Akane was far from a bully, but when her temper did escape her control, watch out. Just like a volcano, when Akane erupted, the results usually weren't too pretty for the intended victim.

Besides, it wasn't like one could dismiss Akane's temper out of hand, just like one couldn't relax around a dormant volcano. If Akane came at her like that again, it would only end the same way, Akane losing her temper, and perhaps Nabiki getting a beating. She had already signed off on the idea that she wouldn't be able to take Ranma from her sister without some retribution.

And if it didn't come before Nabiki surpassed Akane, more's the pity.

"Fuu," Nabiki muttered, finishing her kata and wiping her brow with her gi sleeve. She'd been at it for about two weeks, and it wasn't getting any less exhausting. "Ah well, can't expect it to change just so soon because I start training again."

Idly, she turned and stepped out of the dojo to sit on the steps and watch Ranma spar with his father and hers. It was odd to see the three male residents battling against each other, but her father had said it helped get him into the spirit of teaching faster than warming up on his own. Before, she'd have dismissed the sight before her as the fathers attempting to bully Ranma into something.

Not that they'd ever have success in that regard, unless they got Ranma when his guard was done.

"Hang in there, Ranma-kun!" Nabiki cheered, drawing a brief look and smile from the boy, before he was back on the defensive from the two masters of Indiscriminate Grappling.

As the spar moved back and forth across the yard, Nabiki took whatever notes she could from them as they displayed the Art in its purest form. She didn't delude herself in believing that she could ever truly match the skills the three men before her were displaying, another difference between Akane and herself. Where she understood her limits and wanted to reach them slowly, Akane wanted to be the best NOW, everything else be damned.

Maybe she was being unfair to her little sister, and she should be nicer to her kin. But really, after the confrontation yesterday, she really didn't feel up to playing nice when her thoughts settled on her little sister. Sure, she herself wasn't flawless, but to her own biased opinion, that just made her better than most people, Akane included.

To be frank, if Akane really did have a problem with Nabiki, then more really was the pity.

- - -

Back at Ucchan's, the proprietor of the establishment had finally gotten her nerves under her control and separated herself from her guest upon recover. Kaede, deciding pushing Ukyo's buttons wasn't a good idea in a rare moment of insight, made no noise of disappointment. Nor did she make one of her usual come-ons to the chef, deciding to just enjoy that brief moment that she got to embrace the girl before her without any repercussions.

"Thanks, Kaede," Ukyo said quietly, after a few seconds of contemplation. "I needed that."

"Hey, what are friends for, Ukyo-chan?" Kaede asked with a friendly smile.

"Right, right, I keep forgetting." Ukyo replied, shrugging her shoulders. "So, are you gonna give me the stuff, or do I have to take it from you?"

"Alright, alright," Kaede said, reaching into her back pocket and pulling a small case and placing it on the counter. "Here they are, the strongest muscle relaxants available, now mind you, they only relax muscles but would require a tremendous dosage just to numb the slightest bit of pain."

"Why's that?" Ukyo asked, somewhat confused by the distinction.

"These are used for surgeries and such, to get tightly constricting muscles to relax so the surgery can proceed." Kaede explained, tapping her chin. "Anesthetics are used to dull pain receptors, this just causes the muscles to go slack and stay that way."

Ukyo's eyes showed she still wasn't getting it.

"Look," Kaede said gently, "if I shot you in the arm with it, your arm would FEEL numb, but if I hit you in it, it'd still hurt." She smiled when she saw Ukyo's eyes flash with recognition.

"So if I use this on him," Ukyo said, hoisting the case up. "He'll still feel the beating I'm gonna give him?"

"Right," Kaede said, before grinning evilly. "In fact, there's a greater chance that you could do serious intermuscular damage to him if you hit him in the infected area."

"So, I could do more than leave a few bruises eh?" Ukyo asked, her own evil grin spreading across her face.

"And he'd deserve it, I'd say." Kaede answered, rubbing her hands together in glee.

Somewhere, a man who sometimes was a panda shivered in terror...

- - -

Jogging, it was the usual morning exercise of Akane, one that she had been doing ever since she was little. Still upset at both Nabiki and the fact that yet again, she wasn't asked to join the morning warm-up spar, she put a little more oomph to her pace as she stampeded around the block. Sure, she could admit that she wasn't as good as Ranma, but if no one was willing to take the time to help her, then she'd never be.

Deep down, she knew Nabiki lacked the true drive to be a Martial Artist. Her older sister could accept being second, the middle daughter always was complacent with just doing alright. She lacked the drive and determination that Akane had in spades, which is why she always quit when the going got rough.

Once she'd assured herself of her place next to Ranma, Akane would make sure to point that out to her quitter of a sister.

Yeah, she was still pretty ticked at her sister for the slandering she had absorbed from the mercenary Tendo. The confrontation didn't go how it was supposed to, Akane was supposed to be in control, supposed to direct it to the proper conclusion. But for all her physical prowess, she couldn't hope to beat the cobra that called itself Nabiki's tongue.

Nabiki hated her, to some degree or another, hell, she came out and said it. Then her sister climbed up on her high horse and brow beat her about the very few minor flaws she had. The gall of the girl to act like she was wronged, when she was doing the wronging.

Ranma was hers, deities and everyone else be damned!

Her sister couldn't love him like Akane could, couldn't give him what he really needed in a wife. There was no place in Nabiki's heart for love, not even the love of money could survive THAT frozen tundra. She didn't want to crush her sister as hard as she was going to, had hoped to spare her sister's non-existent feelings by letting her down gently.

But now, it was time to let her down, and let her down hard. It was going to hurt, and Akane would love every second of it. All pity that she may have felt before, every bit of compassion for her greedy sibling had died yesterday.

Slowly, her features twisted into a vicious sneer, as the vision in her head was one she rather liked.

This time, she'd ignore her sister and this time go straight to Ranma. There was no way Nabiki would be able to complete her plans once she got Ranma away from her sister long enough to find a way to break her hold on him. This would be the sudden killing stroke for Nabiki's scheme, swift and brutal, just how Akane liked it.

It was time she put an end to this silliness, and finally claim Ranma as hers. Oh how beautiful it would be, when Ranma finally admitted how he really felt about her. She would reciprocate those feelings, irregardless of if she truly did have the same feelings he surely did.

And once he was in her arms, he'd be there to stay.

- - -

It was lunch time at Furinkan High, a brief respite from the boring lessons that didn't seem worth learning. Nabiki sat alone at a table under a tree, deciding to magnanimously let the students of Furinkan keep their money, for today at least. Her minions had looked at her funny, but had given in to her wishes to be alone.

"So how's it going Saotome?" Nabiki asked as the pigtailed boy approached her at lunch.

"Good, I guess, Tendo-san," Ranma answered as he sat down at the table. "Just trying to get through the day."

"How's Akane doing?" she asked, trying to pretend like she wasn't interested in the answer.

"Oh, she was moody today, a bit grumpy too." he said, ticking off on his fingers. "She even got sent to the hall for snapping at our English teacher."

"I see," she said, humming a bit at her sister's behavior. "Well, at least she isn't taking it out on you."

"That's what's weird about it." he said, shaking his head. "It's almost like she's fighting herself about that."

"Better than her fighting you, right?" she said, a friendly smile on her face.

"Maybe…" he said, looking up at the sky.

"Maybe Saotome?" she asked, not sure why that struck a nerve with her. "You can't tell me you liked fighting tooth and nail with her for the past month or so."

"It's not that," he said with a shrug. "Just sees weird without Akane being upset or defensive about something, you know?"

"Ah, true, true." she agreed, nodding her head along to his reasoning. "You know, today I feel like something is off, and I don't mean Akane."

"Like a threat just out of your range of vision," he said, turning to look at her with a puzzled expression. "But you're not sure if it really is a threat at all, eh?"

"Exactly." she said, looking up at the sky, which was clear without a single cloud visible. "Though the blue sky goes on forever, I can't help but wonder where the storm clouds are."

"Yeah," he whispered, staring into the sky as Nabiki did, wondering about how life would turn out further from today.

Gently, the wind breezed by, and an enjoyable silence engulfed the pair, leaving them to their thoughts.

- - -

Hunger was something of a friend and foe to Genma, being that eating caused him a lot of joy and a fair share of grief. While Ranma often complained about his father's insistence over fighting for food, at least he had never know the true horror of going days on end without food. He never blatantly starved the boy, his heir's physical prowess a testament that he had managed to at least keep him healthy nutrition wise.

Oh sure, his son would often like to make it seem worse than it was, such as the younger Saotome often did. Besides, the only thing wrong is that Ranma simply inherited his father's voracious appetite, which could be blamed on genetics. If anything, Ranma should be glad that his father was for more lenient than the elder Saotome's own master, demon that he was.

Shaking off the violent shudder that rocked his body, Genma opened the door to Ucchan's and stepped in.

It was by fate's fickle musing that Ukyo didn't see Genma right away. You could say that it was by fate's love of irony that Genma didn't recognize the name of the restaurant as the nickname his son gave a certain girl all those years ago. But in any event, Genma looked around the place, unusually deserted at lunch time.

"Sorry, we're clo-" Ukyo began, before she got a good look at the person who just stepped in. "YOU!"

"...Me?" Genma asked uncertainly. The person behind the counter was vaguely familiar.

"My name is Kuonji Ukyo!" the chef screamed, vaulting over the counter and landing before the startled Saotome patriarch. "You stole my father's yattai, you discarded me on the side of the road like trash!"

"Now wait a minute!" the part-time panda yelled back, brow furrowing. "How do I steal what was mine? Dowry is a gift to the father of the groom after all."

"I don't care!" she screamed, wildly swinging her giant spatula at him, causing him to roll away. "I don't recognize that engagement anymore! Like I'd marry YOUR son!" She punctuated her point by spitting at him.

"Now, now." he said nervously, backing away from the enraged girl. "I'm sure there's a way we can work this out without violence."

"The time for talk is over!" she roared, charging towards him and forcing him out of her restaurant.

"Are you sure?" he asked, dodging a swipe from the oversized cooking utensil.

"YOU CAN TALK ALL YOU WANT WHEN YOU'RE DEAD!" she bellowed, letting loose with several quick swings of the battle spatula, each one narrowly missing.

Deciding that talking wouldn't help, Genma decided to find a way to disarm his youthful opponent without harming her. This was easier said than done, as she did her best to keep him from getting a hold of her weapon. Rolling away from her, he sprang in with a jump kick, aimed at bending the handle of the spatula.

"Hah!" she called, pulling the weapon away at the last second and twisting around behind him. "Tentou tsutome!" Putting action, she dipped her odd weapon under her opponent, scooping him up onto the blade before flipping him like an okonomiyaki and slamming him down.

"Guh!" he grunted, not expecting the swift counter. "Not bad girl." He rolled to his feet, eying his opponent with caution.

"Hmph," she snorted with obvious contempt. "Underestimated me, eh?"

"I won't make that mistake again." he promised, dropping into a loose stance.

"You're still fighting me, which IS your mistake." she taunted, gripping the spatula in one hand, then stuck another in her pocket.

"Believe what you want," he said, popping his knuckles free hand. "I don't intend to allow you to beat on me."

Ukyo just shrugged, which Genma took as an opening and attacked. She rolled deftly away, before weaving her way around a few more strikes. After a few more futile swings, Ukyo dove at Genma, but past him, rolling to her feet and retaking her earlier stance.

Genma turned to press, but stumbled as his left leg went numb all of a sudden. Looking down, he saw a syringe sticking out of his leg. His head swiveled up to see her chuckling at him, obviously pleased about something.

"Please," she said, stalking towards the man. "You didn't think I wouldn't do some research on you right? After all, the Saotome fighting style is based on mid-air combat, which requires powerful legs. Ergo, take out the legs, and you're as helpless as a newborn kitten." She punctuated this by rushing forward and slamming the flat of her spatula into Genma's face solidly, his numbed leg not allowing him to dodge.

"H-have mercy," he pleaded, having collapsed from the blow, now down on the ground and sliding away.

"Mercy?" she chuckled darkly, lifting spatula high. "I never bothered to learn the meaning of that word, fatass." With that, she brought it down violently.

The pained screams of a man who was getting what he marginally deserved filled the air, passerbys shying away from the spectacle...

- - -

It was the next day at school, and Ranma was feeling off about things. His father didn't come home for dinner, something his father would never miss. No one had seen him since he left around lunch yesterday, which made Ranma's feeling of unease increase.

But in any event, he went to school in hopes of using the familiar activity to calm his nerves. His father would show up eventually, and he'd be perfectly fine. There was no point in worrying about the old panda, he could take care of himself.

And yet, why did none of that reassure him?

"Okay class," Ranma's homeroom teacher said, trying to get their attention. "we have a new student. Please, introduce yourself."

"Grandfather always said that introductions were like festivals without fireworks." the new student began, setting down a portable grill and pulling out a few containers, all while turning on the grill. "So, want to see some fireworks?"

Before anyone could speak, the student exploded into motion, opening the containers and quickly started cooking okonomiyaki. As quickly as one was done, it was sauced and flung at the crowd. The students gawked at the speed and skill of the young chef before them.

"I have trained at this my whole life." the student stated, juggling the small spatulas for flair. "I have staked my life to be the best okonomiyaki chef in Japan. There is nothing that will stop me."

Pausing, the chef made one final one and slowly sauced this one, before flinging it unerringly straight at Ranma. Not seeing if it made it to its destination, the chef whirled to the blackboard and grabbed a piece of chalk. Deftly writing down their name in a flash, the chef turned and bowed to the class.

"My name is Kuonji Ukyo," Ukyo stated. "And I am the best okonomiyaki chef in Japan. If you doubt me, then try what I have given you."

As ordered, the students began to eat the proffered food. All except for Ranma, but that had little to do with appetite or the food's quality. It smelled fantastic, in fact, it had all his favorite toppings, even his favorite sauce on it too!

But it was what was writen in that sauce that gave him pause. Memories flooded back to him as he began to numb, memories of a long lost friend. A friend who used to write goofy messages on okonomiyaki as a reminder of their friendship.

This message, however, was far from friendly or goofy.

"Meet me tomorrow at the field," he said, reading it quietly aloud as he ignored the dull ache in his chest. "I formally challenge you to a duel, Saotome Ranma."

Slowly, he gazed up at the chef that had grown from his old buddy. The hatred, rage and pure malice dancing in a sea of nothing showed through his eyes. That passive yet intense stare got to Ranma more than he would, or could, admit. Was he really that upset that Ranma had left and never came back to see him?

Looking down at the okonomiyaki cooling on his desk, he realized it really was too late to apologize...

End Chapter 19

Teaser for Chapter 20:

Akane paced her room nervously, butterflies from hell itself deciding her stomach was a proper nesting ground at the moment. Okay, so thinking about asking Ranma out was a lot easier than actually doing it. She lemented that fact as she had tried yesterday after school, but froze up and lost her nerve.

Stupid nerves, getting in the way of her ultimate victory over her sister. This was no time to start blushing like a shy schoolgirl and be unable to even speak in his presence. Even if it was a big step for them, a step that should be easy.

Not for the first time, she lamented that love was just too complicated and fickle for her.

But she was going to do it! She was going to ask him out today, even if she had to get up on a podium like Kuno and announce it to the whole school! Then her common sense took over and reminded her it was never a good idea to copy Kuno.

That, and she didn't want Nabiki to know about it. Her sister would try to ruin the date somehow, needing him to stay vulnerable for her wicked schemes. There was no way that was going to happen, no way for Nabiki to stop her from this mission.

And then Ranma would tell Nabiki to leave him alone, a certain deathblow to her wicked sibling's plans.

Author note: It's done! Yay. See ya next chapter for Ukyo versus Ranma.


	20. Batter You with All My Hate

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½, Rumiko Takahashi does. Buy the manga and support anime please.

Author note: Chapter 20, Ukyo versus Ranma. Let's get to it.

First I Giveth

Chapter 20 Batter You with All My Hate

by Marik Kurakashi

Akane paced her room nervously, butterflies from hell itself deciding her stomach was a proper nesting ground at the moment. Okay, so thinking about asking Ranma out was a lot easier than actually doing it. She lamented that fact as she had tried yesterday after school, but froze up and lost her nerve.

Stupid nerves, getting in the way of her ultimate victory over her sister. This was no time to start blushing like a shy schoolgirl and be unable to even speak in his presence. Even if it was a big step for them, a step that should be easy.

Not for the first time, she lamented that love was just too complicated and fickle for her.

But she was going to do it! She was going to ask him out today, even if she had to get up on a podium like Kuno and announce it to the whole school! Then her common sense took over and reminded her it was never a good idea to copy Kuno.

That, and she didn't want Nabiki to know about it. Her sister would try to ruin the date somehow, needing him to stay vulnerable for her wicked schemes. There was no way that was going to happen, no way for Nabiki to stop her from this mission.

And then Ranma would tell Nabiki to leave him alone, a certain deathblow to her wicked sibling's plans.

It was time for this nonsense to stop, time for this charade her sister kept on putting on to come to its proper end. The sheer ridiculousness of her icy hearted sibling to even speak the words 'friendship' and 'marriage' were enough to make Akane want to laugh herself sick. Nabiki didn't really care about Ranma, not in the way that Akane did.

She couldn't find that capacity in herself to love another, no room for love besides the love of herself and money. Her sister's heart pumped pure contempt in her veins, contempt at the world for keeping its money from her. Taking pictures of her, of Ranma, and selling them to Kuno, and now, pretending like she really wanted Ranma just to inflict further discomfort upon those around her.

With a grunt of concentration, Akane yanked her door open and stormed into the house, looking for Ranma.

Or maybe she should look for Nabiki, since her sister seemed to keep him blackmailed to her side. The naked loathing seethed in her veins, and she did nothing to stem the flow of it. The blackness buried deep in her heart pulsated and fed, empowering her to look past familial bonds that would stay the blow that needed to be dealt.

It felt wonderful, in a perverted way, as though she were liberated from a burden she shouldn't had to bear in the first place. There was wickedness to her, but she didn't think it a bad thing. Unlike Nabiki, she still had a sense of human compassion and a sense of right and wrong.

And after all, if you have to fight fire with fire, why not combat wickedness with wickedness?

The dojo loomed in front of her, her father not teaching a class at the moment. Pulling herself from her dark thoughts long enough to identify that it was in use, Akane ripped the doors open with an uncaring jerk. Skulking in, she listened as it was indeed in use by Ranma... and Nabiki.

Jerking herself to a stop before she came to the main training room, she schooled herself into a perfect, calm visage. There was no way she would chicken out from this, no way she would lose her temper and drive Ranma into the greedy clutches of her sister. For a brief moment, her facade faltered and her anger burned through, destroying what she had so carefully done.

But the moment passed, and she was around the corner, where she spied Ranma helping Nabiki practice her kicks.

"You're doing great, Nabiki." Ranma complimented, shaking the kicking pads a little.

"Thank you, Ranma-kun," Nabiki answered back, an easy breeze in her voice. "But it was a good idea of Daddy's to work Tae Kwon Do into my training."

"Well you certainly have the legs for it," he answered, without a trace of hinting at something else.

Akane chose this moment to break up this little scene, before she needed to run out and hurl. The pair did have the decency to look ashamed for ignoring her, though she was sure Nabiki was just faking it to earn points. Internally she seethed again, but externally, she made her way over to Ranma.

"Hey Ranma," she said neutrally, hoping her voice didn't betray the wrong emotion. "Can I talk to you outside for a moment?"

"Uh..." Ranma said, briefly looking to Nabiki who nodded. "Ok."

"Great." Akane said with a bright smile, grabbing him by the arm so he couldn't change his mind and veritably dragging him out of the dojo.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Ranma said, a little upset at being drug around like a suitcase. "I said I'd come outside to talk to you, sheesh."

"I didn't want you flaking out on me." Akane muttered, looking darkly back at the dojo before turning on her best sunny smile on Ranma. "Ah, right, I guess I got a little ahead of myself."

"Uh... right." he said with a shrug, figuring it was the closest thing to an apology he'll get. "So what's so special we couldn't discuss it in the dojo?"

"You know, we never spend any of our free time together anymore." she said bluntly, the sunny smile morphing into a cloudy frown. "If one were to look at it from the outside, they would say that you were avoiding me."

"I'm not avoiding you." he said, feeling like he was being accused of something. "I don't bar you from the dojo when I'm helping Nabiki train. I don't tell you off and say you can't hang out with me."

"That's just it." she snapped, more heated than she really wanted. "I don't want to hang out with you when you're hanging around Nabiki. Seriously Ranma, we're engaged, we can at least make an effort to be civil."

"When did your Pop go back on his word on that?" he asked, scratching his temple in confusion.

"You know Daddy was probably lying about that." she said back, a trace of annoyance in her voice of being reminded of that.

"It's not nice to call your father a liar, Akane." he retorted, glowering a little.

"Oh don't preach at me, Ranma. You've called your father far worse than I have mine." she said, her own glower on her face. Internally, her spirit soared, as it was almost as if the old magic was back between them.

"Doesn't matter," he grunted, not liking her dismissing her father's magnanimous gesture like that. "You shouldn't dismiss it out of turn because you don't like that he did it."

"Ranma!" she snapped, one hand clenched in a fist, a strong urge to hit something running through her for a moment before it was ruthless destroyed by her determination to save Ranma from Nabiki. "Look, okay, so we're not "officially" engaged anymore. But that's still no reason for you to just flat out avoid me like you have been."

"And I already told you I haven't been avoiding you!" he said back with his own heat. "It's not my fault you can't walk out to the dojo, or just down the hall from your room."

"So? Are you saying that you couldn't do the same and walk to my room then?" she said, wincing internally now as she dug herself deeper. A small part of her chided her for how Nabiki-esque that barb sounded.

"Whatever." he said, turning away in a huff, clearly wanting to argue more but deciding not to. "If you're done lecturing me on things, what'd you want?"

"I was thinking..." she said, trailing off as she gathered herself. "That we should go out on a date sometime, you know, just to see if we can make it work between us."

"Really?" he asked, somewhat surprised. She had been correct that he had been a little guilty of ducking her, so maybe he should try and make it up to her. "Sure, why not?"

"You mean it?" she asked with a huge smile on her face. She briefly hugged him, before she let him go. "How about tomorrow afternoon?"

"Can't, got that challenge match from Uc-Ukyo." he said, managing to keep the slip from being all too noticeable.

"That's right, I can't believe I forgot that." she said, frowning a little. "The day after then?"

"Sure, don't got anything planned for then." he said with a shrug.

"Great, thanks Ranma!" she answered, hugging him again briefly, before she released him and bolted off back to the house.

"So, little sis decided to ask you out?" Nabiki asked, peering around the door at Ranma, who seemed to think about something.

"Yeah..." he answered, shrugging his shoulders once more. "I dunno why I said yes, but I couldn't think of an honest reason why not to."

"Well, why not and see if there was any truth to that old magic right?" she asked, oddly not feeling too bad about Ranma going out on a date as she thought she should be. Especially after yesterday.

"Might as well, can't be all that bad." he said, looking over at Nabiki with a look that was anything but indifferent. "Besides, maybe she'll quite brooding after this."

"I guess," she answered, meeting his look with one of her own.

They remained that way for five minutes, enjoying the breeze.

- - -

At the Ucchan's, the owner of the restaurant was seated behind the counter, closed for the day again. She was waiting for Kaede to return from delivering her insurance policy against Saotome holding himself back for some outdated sense of friendship. He had to fight with everything, give his all, so that when she beat him, it would be because she was better than him.

That moment, her moment of victory, she would let him know he had been beaten by a girl, just to twist the dagger further. He deserved nothing less from her, nothing less than the most complete humiliation she could give him. He destroyed her world ten years ago, and she would return the favor, crushing him under heel and leaving HIM broken and useless by the wayside.

It gave her such a pleasurable thrill, a warmth that was probably second to sexual satisfaction, not that she would know anyways.

Her mind wandered back to the encounter with the fat bastard, and the beating she had given him. It wasn't enough, she had wanted to kill him and let him burn in whatever hell was waiting for him. But she had held back, for a reason she couldn't quite grasp at the moment.

Of course, that isn't to say she didn't completely beat the utter crap out of him. In fact, getting Kaede to patch him up after the beating was tougher than the beating itself. Why did the one person from her former life who could help her defeat the Saotomes had to be the manic lesbian obsessed with her?

She violently tamped down on that line of thinking, least she devolve into a less productive line of thinking.

- - -

The oversized spatula came down with bruising force, connecting with a meaty splat to the flesh of one Genma Saotome. For his part, he grunted in obvious pain, mind whirring to try and find a way to stop this. Leg useless, he couldn't run, and yet he couldn't fight effectively with it either, as his fighting style depending on being light on his feet.

Ukyo roared in anger, seeing red as she raised her weapon and brought it down harder than before. She didn't come to talk, come to negotiate, or even fight, she came to hear him SCREAM. To hear him beg and plead for his worthless hide as she refused to grant him that mercy.

And since he wasn't screaming, it only served to enrage her more.

Once more, the spatula was raised, and once more it connected, the grunt of pain deeper, more guttural than before. The pain was getting to him, slipping past his macho bravado, pushing him further towards what Ukyo wanted to hear from him. Another raise, another splat, another forceful grunt of agony, as anger rampaged through the Kuonji girl's blood as she continued to try and beat that cherished scream out of him.

"Leave me like trash on the side of the road will you?" she screamed, increasing the force into her blows. "And then when I come to give you your just desserts, it's all, let's talk Ukyo, we don't have to fight Ukyo. Bah! SCREW YOU!"

He couldn't answer, couldn't much more than grunt and groan in pain as the spatula struck home time and again.

"Yeah, where's your fancy words and lies now, eh fatass?!" she said sarcastically, stopping her assault with her weapon and starting to stamp on the man's face. "I don't hear those honeyed words you whispered to my sucker of a father to get him to give you that cart." She paused and ground her foot into his face.

Weakly, he moved his hands to grab her foot.

"Oh ho, still able to move tubby?" she chortled, lackadaisically lifting her foot away from his slow moving arms. "Want me to fix that for you?"

Tears began to shimmer in his eyes as he gingerly shook his head no.

"What's that, meatbag?" she asked, biting sarcasm spewing from her lips. "Want me to show you how I crush lobster tails for my seafood okonomiyaki?"

Again, the head sadly shook no, eyes pleading, tears beginning to fall.

"Since you're so eager," she said, grinning viscerally. She placed the butt end of her spatula against his left arm. "Ebi bikou assaiki!" A sharp, short jerk of her wrist twisted the spatula with surprising force, the ground serving as fulcrum as the bones in Genma's left forearm snapped like a wishbone.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he screamed, Ukyo lifting her own voice in sing-song delight at his misery. She lifted the spatula, the beaten man quickly curling to protect the damaged appendage.

"Ah... music to my ears!" she said, laughing cruelly as she kicked the broken man. "This is all your fault, you know. If you didn't abandon me all those years ago, I would have grown into the destroyer I am now."

Genma only whimpered, trying to curl up further as he began to cry silently from the pain of his broken arm.

"That's right, cry! Cry like I did when the man I thought was going to grow up and marry me ditched me for the cart!" she said, kicking him harder. "After all, he's just a cowardly glutton like his father!"

The broken heap in the shape of a man just sobbed, pain reducing him to a mess as terrible memories flooded over him.

"And now, Genma Saotome, go tell your ancestors that Kunoji Ukyo sends you to them with all of her hate for them and you!" she shouted, raising the spatula so the sharped edge of the weapon was pointed at her victim. With another shout, she brought the weapon down with great force, only to stop unexpectedly.

"M-master... please... I-I-I'm sorry..." she heard him muttered, his sobbing growing louder, the man oblivious how close he was to dying.

The spatula fell boneless out of her hands, clattering on the ground as she stared at Genma but not really seeing him.

"U-Ukyo-chan.. no more... I'm begging you!" she heard inside her heads, the voice of her father when she took her revenge for his lies.

"Gods... what the hell am I doing?" she muttered, hands shaking as her rage bled away, leaving her to revel in the horror of her actions. Seeing the broken form in front of her, two feelings warred within her: guilt for breaking him,so, and satisfaction for doing the deed. Her legs turned to jelly as she slid down to her knees, her own tears beginning to run down her face as she wept, unable to cope with what the beast she had become to gain this revenge.

"What have I become?" she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself as she felt so cold all of a sudden, despite the warm spring weather.

- - -

So wrapped up in her reflection, Ukyo didn't hear Kaede reenter the restaurant, didn't hear her inquiry of what was the matter with the sobbing girl. And she didn't know when Kaede had wrapped her around her and gently rocked her. It was warm and comforting, two feelings that the other girl never seemed to embody at any time.

The feeling of Kaede's long, black hair brushing against the nape of her neck was enough to bring Ukyo back to her senses. Glancing sidelong with teary eyes, she recognized Kaede and the look of comfort, slightly tinged with longing. Calming down, she wiped the tears away, before she slowly separated.

And in the air that was tinged with grief, Ukyo could finally understand why Kaede teased her all those times.

It wasn't out of meanness, to tease the girl who gave up her femininity. It was out of love, a misguided, misaimed arrow of Cupid that had went awry. Through the deafening silence, Ukyo could finally understand the girl who was her friend, but tortuously longed to be more.

She wasn't sure how to go about this, how to deal with the understanding that it wasn't out of perversion that Kaede dropped those hints. That it wasn't out of a misplaced sense of humor deciding to deride the Kunoji girl for her decision to crossdress. What could she say to this girl so hopelessly and frailly in love with her?

The answer refused to come, and so she said nothing, and closed her eyes with a long, pained sigh.

Kaede sat in her chair and just silently studied the girl who had so ensnared her world. She was a girl on the rise with the world, the skeleton in the closet that she hid in be damned. She was fairly attractive, if she could say so with a tiny amount of modesty, with a good figure and a brilliant mind.

But she fell for this crossdresser, this girl who lived to take revenge for a slight ten years ago. This girl who tried to deny her heart, deny that she felt anything, claiming the sea had emptied out her human compassion. She had to fall for THIS girl, one whose intellect wasn't even a quarter of her, one who lived like this was still the warring states era.

And yet, she couldn't help but be attracted to the girl's simplistic charm, even the fake smile she put on for people to get them to leave her alone would beguile her and hold her attention rapt for hours on end.

Her heart ached again, seeing Ukyo so broken over everything again. Damnit, this revenge was to make her happy and able to move on with life, not destroy her and leave her a busted mess! She had to be strong for the girl she loved so dearly, yearned so strongly for, couldn't let her think there was anything wrong.

Love... she didn't believe it existed before she met the self-proclaimed best okonomiyaki chef in Japan. She knew she was gay, that she would rather have sex with a woman before she'd have sex with a guy. The fates' sick sense of irony to have her fall head over heels for a girl who did such a convincing boy.

Though inside she sobbed, her face broke into a smile, one she hoped was fake enough to calm her love's nerves and worries for her good friend.

"Thanks Kaede..." Ukyo said, ignoring the smile on the other girl's face. She knew it was fake, knew that the girl didn't want her pity. "Seems you keep taking care of me when I lose my head."

"Yes, and lucky for you I know medicine, or I'd never be able to reattach it!" Kaede huffed, crossing her arms and effecting a mousy pout that most would feel insufferably cute.

"Hahaha, yeah, that's right, isn't it?" Ukyo laughed, shaking her head. "You deliver the package and note to Ranma?"

"Mmm... the pigtailed jerk got it." Kaede said, before she beamed. "I even got him mad at me when I hit on his girlfriend, some tomboy with short hair."

"Bet that was fun for you." Ukyo replied, idly wondering what the girl looked like. Maybe she could convince this girl to take Kaede out, just to give her friend a chance to get over her.

"Yep! But I bet that jerk must think himself a playboy, living in a house with three good looking girls." Kaede said, tapping her chin in thought. "Though, his ego and macho self-congratulation for having a penis made me sick."

"Kaede!" Ukyo squawked in shock, giggling madly at the description of Ranma. "That's so horrible of you. Make fun of him some more." She leaned forward and grinned.

"Well..." Kaede said, trailing off to think.

- - -

Time had passed, and all too soon, it was the day of the fight. Ukyo had once more asserted her desire to fight Ranma, who said that the okonomiyaki chef had pushed things too far, and they would settle it out on the field of battle. After everyone clapped heartily at the dramatics, class proceeded until lunch.

Nabiki sat with Ranma at lunch, Akane off by herself in a some kind of super good mood, plotting her date with Ranma that would happen tomorrow. The older of the two sisters vying for Ranma's affections shook her head, wondering what was going through Akane's mind. She was sure it had something to do with vanquishing Nabiki's plans for Ranma.

Just exactly why her plans to be Ranma's friend had to be vanquished was beyond her understanding.

"Man, Akane's even weirder than before." Ranma said, shaking his head. "You'd think I just told her the best news ever possible in the history of best news."

"Akane's just wired a bit differently than the rest of us." Nabiki said with a shrug. "So, you got a big match after school against that Ukyo guy..."

"Yeah, I could live with him being mad at me, but what he did to Pop..." Ranma said, trailing off as he shook with anger. "He's got to pay for that."

"I'm with you. Even if your father isn't the nicest man in the world, he didn't deserve that." she said, shivering a little as she remembered Genma in a broken, sobbing heap.

"I just wish I knew what I did to make him so mad." he said, pounding the table in frustration.

"Looks like you'll have to beat some answers out of him." she said, a grim look arresting her features.

"Wish I didn't, but I guess you're right." he sighed, mind reeling at everything that had happened.

"I know you don't want me to say this, but..." Nabiki said, sighing before continuing. "Be careful ok? If Ukyo can do that to your dad, don't go in there half-cocked and get beaten down."

"Alright, alright, I get what you're trying to say." Ranma said, deciding not to argue about it. Nabiki looked upset about the prospect of him getting injured, which made him uncomfortable. He did his best to smile reassuringly at her.

"I'm not telling you how to fight," she said, looking away least she blush. "I just... I don't know, I want you to be able to get your revenge for your father without getting crippled in the process."

"Yeah, I get what you're tryin' to say." he replied, shaking his head. "Thanks for being there for me Nabiki, the past couple weeks wouldn't have been as tolerable as they are without you."

"T-thank you, Ranma-kun." she stuttered out, coloring slighting as she smiled brightly at him.

And so they sat like that, nothing further said between them.

- - -

The time was finally here, the battle between Kuonji Ukyo and Saotome Ranma would finally get underway. They had borrowed a ring from the boxing club, in an effort to better protect the students from getting in the crossfire. Ranma and Ukyo were in their respective corners, stretching as Nabiki prepared to give the introductions.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Nabiki said into the megaphone, not having time to secure a good outdoor speaker set. "If you would direct you attention to me. The grudge match between Kuonji Ukyo and Saotome Ranma is about to get underway."

A raucous cheer erupted from the crowd.

"But first, some introductions. Fighting out of the blue corner, he's a new student who hails from the Kansai region of our great nation. Not much else is known about this mysterious new student, but he does claim to be the best okonomiyaki chef in all of Japan. Please, give a warm hand for Kuonji Ukyo!" Nabiki said, gesturing towards Ukyo, who came out of the corner and posed with his battle spatula.

Loud cheers erupted from parts of the crowd, mixed with a smattering of boos.

"Fighting out of the red corner, he is a student that perhaps needs no introduction. You all know his track record, he has been undefeated in matches held at this school, repeatedly defeating previous champion Tatewaki Kuno. The untamed, unmatched, and undefeated horse of Furinkan High School, the one, the only, SAOTOME RANMA!" Nabiki introduced once more, gesturing towards Ranma, who did a quick kata, ending with him gesturing towards Ukyo to bring it.

Even louder cheers were issued by the crowd, including a large number of squeals from the girls who had been drug to the fight by their boyfriends. This, of course, served to drowned out Kuno's protest of being defeated by Ranma.

"The rules of the match are simple." Nabiki continued, once the cheers had died down. "No holds nor weapons barred, knock-out or submission only. But, to be fair, we do have officials standing by who will stop the fight if it becomes too serious and permanent injury can occur. Kuonji, do you accept these rules?" Ukyo nodded, glaring a hole in Ranma. "Saotome, do you?" Ranma nodded, returning the glare for all his worth. Nabiki moved herself out of the ring, before she resumed speaking. "Please remain in your corners until the bell sounds. Good fighting and good luck to you both."

Silence engulfed the field, both fighters tensing. This showdown had been brewing for ten years from one side, but that didn't matter. Both fighters wanted this, needed this, CRAVED this, and wouldn't stop even if Kami-sama Himself descended from the Heavens and told them to stop.

The long moment of silence, an eternity of quiet that engulfed the area like a thick blanket of stifling wool. Anticipation mounted, the audience's breath held in quiet excitement, blood burning for that bell to ring. The bell keeper, upon getting the signal from Nabiki, raised his hammer and brought it down.

It struck home, the chime of the bell resounding like thunder in the stillness, sending the fighters forward and the crowd into a frenzy.

Ranma threw the first punch, in an effort to disarm his foe, who spun away. He barely had time to duck as the unorthodox weapon came in for his back at a blistering pace. Before he could regain himself and attack again, he was forced to roll away from a searing kick that seemed to hiss in the air as it passed.

Not content to stay on the defensive, Ranma rolled back towards Ukyo, but uncoil part way to thrust both feet at the battle chef. Again, his opponent flowed away like water, seeking to attack his seemingly vulnerable enemy. But the pigtailed boy knew he would miss, and had already swung his legs up, jerking his body into an impressive backflip, landing lightly on his feet.

The crowd exploded as Ranma whirled around to face Ukyo, who sneered at him.

Both rushed in again, the pigtailed fighter leading with a leaping front kick, which was again spun around. Ranma's momentum carried him to the ropes, where he used one foot to spring off, backflipping over Ukyo's charging baseball bat swing. The battle chef mimicked his foe's earlier move, twisting around to bounce off the ropes, coming in with spatula extended for what would pass as a lariat in professional wrestling.

Leaning back and out of the way, the pigtailed champion righted himself and turned to face his opponent. The battle chef cursed a little bit, hoping to have hit with that, before skidding to a stop and turning to face Ranma again. He spun his weapon deftly, before posing with it as though it were a staff, and gestured for his pigtailed enemy to come on.

Dueling chants "Kuonji!" and "Saotome!" rose from the divided crowd, as this was the best match they had seen in quite a while.

Obliging the request, Ranma came rushing in again with a thundering series of punches. However, not a single blow connected, as Ukyo deftly used the oversized cooking implement serving as a weapon to block each punch. Tired of being stymied, the pigtailed boy reared back for a stronger punch, attempting to disarm his foe yet again.

He was to be disappointed, as the battle chef once again swirled away from the punch. Stopping himself on the ropes, he rolled away from a series of swat by his opponent, each one just stinging the ropes and never having enough force to rebound back. As he neared the corner, he rolled back the way he came and tumbled around Ukyo and returning to center ring, taking a fighting pose as the battle chef casually rested in the corner, arm on rope as the spatula hung loose in the other.

The cheering renewed, the crowd deciding to save energy and cheer during the lulls of the fight.

- - -

"I don't like this," Nabiki said to Akane, features darkening as Ranma and Ukyo continued to do battle. "There's just too much being hidden by this Kuonji guy."

"Hey, you're preaching to the choir here. Kuonji won't say a single thing to anyone about himself." Akane said, before deciding to jab her sister a little. "Besides, I would have thought all the bets that you could take on this fight would ease your discomfort."

"Too many unknown variables for this fight." Nabiki said, letting the insult roll off her back. "I couldn't give any odds in time for bets to be placed, even knowing what he did to Mr. Saotome."

"Sure, whatever you say." Akane said, shaking her head, before something caught her eye. "Hey, it's that girl who dropped off Mr. Saotome."

"And hit on you," Nabiki added, smirking at the nasty glare Akane shot her for reminding her. "Obviously, she's a friend of Kuonji's with the way she's leading the crowd in chants for the guy."

"Yeah, just as long as she stays over there." Akane growled, a shiver of revulsion running through her at the memory of the girl making a blatant pass at her.

"Oh come on Akane, aren't you just being a little melodramatic?" Nabiki asked, eyes affixing a hooded gaze.

"I don't care!" Akane spat, glaring at her sister. "You know I hate perverts."

"Ah ha, I get it. It's because she's a girl and you wouldn't feel right about beating her up then?" Nabiki asked, before smiling wickedly. "Or because she'd probably enjoy it?"

"Nabiki!" Akane gurgled in unrestrained anger, making throttling gestures at her taunting sibling.

"Grow up Akane." Nabiki said, rolling her eyes. "If you react to every taunt I make, then you'll never be more than an immature brat. You're not the first person to be insulted and degraded, grow an extra layer of skin if it bothers you so much."

Akane didn't dignify that with a response and just focused her attention back on the match. Nabiki would get hers when Ranma told her to leave him alone with all her petty schemes. Then it would be her older sister's turn to grown an extra layer skin if that bothered her so much...

- - -

"Not bad," Ranma grunted, stretching a little after both combatants took a breather. "Looks like you've improved over the last ten years."

"Yes, because I'd just stay the same, Saotome." Ukyo returned sarcastically, rotating a shoulder to work some tension out of it.

"That's not what I meant!" Ranma snapped, feeling annoyed that his attempt to compliment his foe had been slapped aside.

"It's what you implied." Ukyo returned glibly, shaking his head. "I can see you're just as dense as when we were kids."

"Feh, why do you have to be such a jerk about things?" Ranma growled, the insult striking home with far too much accuracy for his taste.

"When dealing with a jerk, you might as well be a jerk too." Ukyo said, shrugging.

"I'm not a jerk!" Ranma shouted, stamping a foot.

"Yes, because nice guys beat up their friends for food all the time." Ukyo said, venomous sarcasm flying with the words.

"Hey, it was just a game!" Ranma said, far more defensive than he would have liked.

"Justify it all you want," Ukyo intoned, hefting the spatula into a ready position. "But you still stole it, you still beat me up for it."

"Is that what this is about?" Ranma asked, taking a ready stance so as best to defend himself.

"If you don't remember," Ukyo said, head shaking as he rushed forward. "Then there's no point in telling you!"

"What are yo- HEY!" Ranma started, only to be cut off by a vicious swipe of the spatula, which he leapt high over.

"Got you." Ukyo said, pulling what appeared to be a takoyaki ball out of the hip pouch on his hip. "Tako Hanabi Matsuri!" He tossed the ball up and hit it at Ranma.

"What the...?" Ranma asked, preparing to knock the ball aside when it "popped" into eight and surrounded him, before they all exploded. "Aaaaah!"

"Stupid jackass." Ukyo muttered, turning away from the cloud of smoke, only to get a brief sense of danger and leap out of the way as Ranma tumbled out of the cloud and landed where the battle chef had been standing.

"UKYOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ranma howled, singed and dirty but perfectly fine. "It is ON now!"

"And it wasn't before?" Ukyo asked with an innocent expression.

"Shut up..." Ranma said, rushing forward and forcing Ukyo to spin away from a particularly nasty right cross. "...and FIGHT!"

"With pleasure," Ukyo said, charging in with a looping combo.

Ranma dodged, ducked, and otherwise avoided the high-speed onslaught of his opponent. Batting aside the ones that would require too much effort to dodge, he continued to look for an opening. After a few more seconds, he found it and stepped on the spatula, but was shocked when Ukyo just released the weapon and took up a defensive stance.

Not even thinking it may be a feint, the pigtailed youth dove in with a right cross, hoping to further divorce the battle from his weapon. He was surprised, however, when his foe captured his arms, and tugged him forward into a hard knee. Air exploding from his lungs, he was roughly pushed back to the ropes as Ukyo moved and reclaimed his weapon.

"That's two hits for me, Saotome. Luckily we weren't fighting to first hit, or you'dve lost." Ukyo taunted, daintily flicking his ponytail in mockery of his fallen foe.

Silence again, the crowd wondering how Ranma would respond to the taunt. Slowly, as if in the greatest of pain, he drew himself to his feet. His eyes were hollow, not even anger reflecting in them, as if his very humanity had been driven out by that knee.

A moment passed, and suddenly, the pigtailed fighter's face twisted into pure animalistic furor. From his throat escaped a roar of inarticulate anger, the crowd gasping in terror and covering their ears at the horrid sound. Then he quieted down, and rushed at his opponent twice as fast as before, as though his rage allowed him to move even faster.

The cacophonous bang of his fist meeting the battle spatula of his foe floored some of the spectators.

Ukyo's brow furrowed as he fought to keep the weapon in his grip. All of a sudden, Ranma had become twice as fast and strong, the strengthened steel of his spatula almost bending into uselessness from just ONE punch. Deciding that he couldn't push against Ranma forever, he flowed away again, spinning to attack the still airborne boy.

Imperiously, he was denied, as Ranma had rotated with his spin, and blocked the attack with a thundering kick, sending the weapon flying from the battle chef's shocked grasp. He hopped back, hoping to reclaim it before Ranma had recovered, but he was denied again. Ranma again showed his mastery of the aerial arts by pivoting from the kick and landing back on the ropes, from which he sprung forth and delivered a mighty dropkick to the hastily put up guard of Ukyo, who toppled over from the force.

Head bounced meatily off the canvas, bell temporarily rung as he realized he was almost knocked out by a blow he had blocked.

Then he was scrambling, rolling away on his back from Ranma's attempt to stomp his enemy. After two unsuccessful stomps, Ukyo recovered enough of his wits to kick up and land a kick between Ranma's shoulder blades, driving him away from his downed foe. Quickly, oh so quickly, he scrambled to his feet, preparing for Ranma's next assault.

It was a short wait, as Ranma surged forward like a living tidal wave, his furious punches and kicks threatening to wash Ukyo away. The battle chef blocked and dodged as best he could, the pigtailed fighter continue his rampage unchecked. For another thirty seconds, Ranma chased his foe around with blistering attacks, each one only barely missing or just grazing their target.

Ukyo couldn't allow this to go on, but Ranma's assault left him very tiny holes to attack in, as such, he just defended, waiting for an opening.

An opening did present itself, as the pigtailed boy turned just a little too slowly. Rushing in, the battle chef shoulder checked him back into the ropes, before tackling him to the ground. Swiftly, Ukyo mounted his foe, and started raining punches down into Ranma's forearms, which were criss crossed over his face to protect it.

Ranma played possum, waiting his time until Ukyo slowed the punches long enough for him to turn the tables. After a few more seconds, the battle chef paused, gulping for air, giving his pigtailed opponent the opening needed to switch their positions. Now Ranma was on top of the guard position, Ukyo's leg positioned in such a way it was harder for Ranma to strike him.

But that was the pigtailed boy's intention, deciding to pin his once dear friend turned hated foe to the mat and get some answers.

"Now, you're going to tell me what the hell this is all about!" Ranma shouted, pressing Ukyo down far enough to prevent the other boy from striking him.

"I already told you, if you don't remember, there's no point!" Ukyo roared back, struggling to get in a position to hit the bastard.

"Then refresh my memory!" Ranma demanded, leaning back just a little so he could see Ukyo's face better.

"Screw you!" Ukyo said, spitting at him before managing to get a grip on his hair and start punching him on the top of the head.

"Knock it off and tell me!" Ranma pleaded, quickly pulling the arms away and pinning them to the mat.

"You're not getting an answer out of me, Saotome, so just give it up!" Ukyo roared, getting his arms free and putting Ranma in a triangle choke. The battle chef added to the pain of this by starting to elbow him in the head.

"Just.TELL.ME!" Ranma screamed, growing tired of being elbowed, surging to his feet and flinging his foe down with a thundering powerbomb that broke the chokehold. He rolled off to the side, rubbing his neck from the brief time he was in the hold.

"AGH!" Ukyo hissed, back exploding into pain as stars began to shoot from behind his eyes. He rolled over and crawled to the ropes, pulling himself up.

"It doesn't have to happen this way." Ranma said, as he climbed to his feet, looking sadly at his old friend leaning feebly on the ropes.

"It's always had to be this way," Ukyo whispered, suddenly shooting forward with a right cross. "Ever since you've left it's had to be this way!"

"What?!" Ranma asked, caught flat footed and barely able to block it. "Is that what this is about? That I left without saying goodbye?!" He accentuated his point by nailing his former friend in the hip with a stinging middle kick.

"This has nothing to do with that, you thieving bastard!" Ukyo shrieked, voice becoming slightly feminine in this moment of anger and sorrow. He threw a left hook that only partly connected with its mark.

"Then what is it? I'm sorry I'm not a psychic and able to read your mind, pal!" Ranma snarled, slugging Ukyo back with a right hook.

"You don't need psychic abilities to remember stuff, jackass." Ukyo returned, slugging Ranma with a right of his own.

"Look, I'm so sorry that I can't remember every single thing of everything that has ever happened to me!" Ranma cried, the beginnings of tears forming in his eyes. He blasted Ukyo with a left hook, who stumbled whoosily.

"And you can't even recall how you left you idiot!" Ukyo thundered, nailing Ranma flush on with a right cross that forced him into the center of the ring.

"How... I..." Ranma said, eyes filling with horror as he remember, the sound of his young voice squealing goodbye from atop Ukyo's yatai burning through his suddenly cold veins.

"That's right, you and your fat bastard of a father just left me behind!" Ukyo declared, advancing in a drunken gait that belied the menace he wanted. "Stole my family's cart, and discarded me like trash, like I didn't even matter to you! Like I wasn't good enough to travel with you, to train with you!"

"But... we were just kids, how is it my fault Pop left you behind?" Ranma asked, trying to make sense of everything.

"Oh sure, hide behind your father like you always do." Ukyo sneered, drawing back to hit Ranma again.

"Grrrrr, listen to me!" Ranma snapped, stepping in and drilling Ukyo straight in the chest.

Pain exploded through Ukyo's world, far more than the powerbomb or any of the other punches taken. The punch had been cushioned by the chest bindings, but that was small comfort as the battle chef's chest burned in agony. Sagging on the ropes, and almost blacking out, Ukyo heard Ranma say something, fury reviving him for one last ditch attack.

"I'M STILL HEREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Ukyo screamed, voice fully sounding like a girl as he sprung in and headbutted Ranma right between the eyes. Collapsing to the ground, he remained alert enough to hear Ranma falling onto the canvas. The noise of the crowd exploding into a frenzy mixed into a dirge of unintelligible noise, as if his head had been submerged in water.

"Ugh," Ukyo whimpered, grabbing his forehead as he rolled to his knees and looked over at the dazed Saotome youth. "Got that jackass good." This was said as a whisper, the very act of speaking causing his head to throb.

"Oooh," Ranma moaned, rolling onto his side as he tried to recover from the unexpected headbutt. He thought the punch to the chest had finished it, but he had been wrong. With further effort, he made it to his hands and knees, head humming with discomfort.

"Just give up..." Ukyo horsely whispered, as he crawled back to the ropes and pulled himself up. "Struggling's just going to make it worse."

"I don't give up." Ranma wheezed, crawling to the ropes and pulling himself up to his feet.

Both combatants charged towards each other ever so slowly, fists cocked back to deliver a punch. Their attacks were foiled when Ranma's legs gave way and he started to fall down. Ukyo's swing went harmlessly over Ranma's head, while the pigtailed boy's swing got caught on the battle chef's top, gravity assisting in tearing the garment open... and the cloth underneath.

Like lightning, especially considering how injured Ukyo was, his arms encircled his body, hoping to hide his, make that HER secret from getting out. Right arm tight around her chest to make sure her womanly attributes didn't spill out, she slapped the pigtailed boy, who had just regained his feet HARD, his body coming to rest in a nearby corner. Adrenaline burning, she ran over and grabbed her battle spatula.

With a prodigious leap, she had cleared the ring AND the crowd and was already fleeing the field by the time Ranma regained his feet.

"Ow," he grumbled, rubbing his cheek. That slap had been oddly... feminine, despite the very masculine outward appearance of his opponent. Was it Ryoga all over again? Did Ranma get his childhood friend cursed too?

Not stopping to think, Ranma executed a rather impressive leap of his own, already hot on the trail of Ukyo.

- - -

"Go away and leave me the hell alone already!" Ukyo cried, her desire to fight fleeing over the fear of being in a potentially vulnerable position with that boy.

"Wait, Ukyo, just talk to me!" Ranma begged, both already getting to rooftop level in their chases. "Did you go to Jusenkyo to?"

"Ju-what? The hell are you babbling about?" Ukyo hollered, confused by the idiocy spouted by her hated foe.

"You know, the cursed springs in China." Ranma said, all of a sudden not feeling so confident about his first idea that Ukyo was cursed like he was.

"I've never left Japan you jackass!" Ukyo answered, effectively killing that idea.

"So... did you have a sex change?" Ranma asked, trying to hold on to the idea that Ukyo was always a guy, and that he didn't just spend the better part of the last twenty minutes fighting tooth and nail with a girl.

"Sex change? Why would I have a sex change?" Ukyo asked, confusion killing her irritation.

"I mean, you were a boy when we were little... right?" Ranma asked, a sinking pit in his stomach.

"You mean you..." Ukyo said, dissolving into laughter, sounding distinctly like someone who just found out that everything they ever believed was a lie. It was a sad, horrible, soul grating sound, that tore at Ranma more than he cared for.

"We were both six!" Ranma defended his mistake as a child. "And it's never like we took a bath together so I could see you weren't a boy."

"Sure, sure." Ukyo drawled, slowing down just for a second.

"Damnit, quit running!" Ranma cried, surging forward and tackling her to the roof the were both about to land on. She dropped her spatula, but managed to keep her cover.

"You moron, are you trying to kill us both?!" Ukyo snapped, reaching for her weapon, only for Ranma to scramble over and stand on top of it.

"Stand up." Ranma said, forcefully lifting Ukyo up, and then prying her blocking arm away. Unintentionally, he blushed as Ukyo's breasts flounced a little as the were no longer being pressed in.

"And you're pervert, why am I not surprised?" Ukyo asked sarcastically, hands clinched in fist. "So you gonna cop a feel or what? Maybe click your heels over the fact your childhood buddy is actually a girl, then toss me to the roof and try to have your way with me?"

"I'm not a pervert!" Ranma snapped with little heat.

"No? So what was wrong about me covering THESE?" Ukyo asked with impressive venom, jiggling her breasts to emphasis her point.

"N-nothing," Ranma said, flushing a deeper red. "I just had to be sure you weren't lying."

"Yes, I would flee covering my chest and pretend I was girl just to lie to you." Ukyo said sarcastically. "You're even stupider than I remember."

"Hey!" Ranma protested, not liking the dig on his intelligence.

"Hay is for horses, so why aren't you eating some, Mr. Wild Horse." Ukyo groused, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Knock the jokes off Ukyo." Ranma growled, lifting his foot off her spatula and turning away in a huff.

"Sure thing, Ranchan" Ukyo said far too sweetly, as she dove and picked back up her weapon and swatted Ranma hard on the back with it as he stood stunned at hearing her old pet name for him. "And you're also a big sucker too."

"That was dirty." Ranma protested, standing up shakily.

"Hey, it's a street fight, boyo. Only rule is to win and leave the other guy worse than you." Ukyo answered easily, pulling out a large orb of flour, which was mixed with gunpowder. "I mixed this one just for you, a dai hana seki just for you."

"So what are you gonna do, cover me with flour?" Ranma taunted, before he remembered the exploding takoyaki, turning pale.

"That's right, boyo. This here's a bomb, a big one, just for you." Ukyo said, slamming the bomb into the ground and reached into her pouch, only to find to her horror she didn't have her lighter. '_Crap! I left it behind because I was going to school today. Now how am I supposed to set it off?_'

"Wow, some bomb." Ranma called out sarcastically.

Some say the greatest inventions are made of necessity, the oft credit mother of them. The same can be said for martial arts maneuvers, as it is often under the greatest duress that the martial artist has his greatest insight. Such was the case now, as Ukyo's vision began to blur out the flour, and focused on her spatula.

'_I think I got it,_' Ukyo thought, looking at the roof. '_If I strike the roof, I should be able to cause the spark to ignite the gunpowder._'

"Ready to give up?" Ranma asked, still trying to see in the cloud of flour.

"Not on your life!" Ukyo said, rearing back with her spatula. Sure, she'd get blown away too, but she would get Ranma too. "Dai hana seki!" She swung the spatula, strike the roof in a way where large spark jumped into the flour cloud. Immediately, it began to spark and flash, stopping Ranma in his tracks.

And then it exploded, throwing Ukyo backwards off the roof.

The sensation of air rushing past her body as she feel awakened her from her brief moment of unconsciousness. Using the spatula, she caught the fire escape, halting her descent. Her top was tattered, but not enough to expose her. She looked up and saw Ranma's badly singed form resting on the edge of the roof, looking down in sheer rage at her.

Most would shiver in fear at such a look being directed at them, but she just smiled. And then, she unwedged herself and fell to the ground, instinctively rolling with the impact to avoid further injury. Using the spatula, she began to pull herself away from the seething Saotome.

"Get back here..." Ranma whispered, his rage boiling over. "Get back here, UKYO!" With great effort, he managed to stand and scream her name, one more time, ironically mirroring her tone of rage as that day ten years previous:

"UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKKKKKKKKKKKKKYOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

End Chapter 20

Teaser for chapter 21, "It's Not Fair When You Don't Try":

"Ranma, are you alright!?" Nabiki yelled, as the paramedics carted him down from the roof, thankfully not on a stretcher.

"I'm fine," he mumbled, anger coursing through his body

"Nabiki, did they- RANMA!" Akane yelled, coming over to inspect the pigtailed boy.

"Don't worry Ranma, I'll find out all I can on this Ukyo guy." Nabiki said, nodding her head.

"Guy?" Ranma asked, before he remembered. "Uh, actually, Ukyo's not a guy... Ukyo's a girl."

"A... girl?" both sisters chroused, realizing that the great Saotome Ranma just got taken to the limit by a girl.

End notes: Well, the chapter is finally done. Translation notes: ebi bikou assaiki Lobster Tail Crusher, Tako Hanabi Matsuri Octopus Fireworks Festival, dai hana seki Great Flower Burst, and a techinique from 19, tentou tsutome Counter Service. Not much else to say, see you next time when Ranma and Akane go on a date... in a Ranma x Nabiki fanfic. Oh that won't end well. Later.


	21. Chapter 21 It's Not Fair

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½, a whole bunch of people do. The most important is Rumiko Takahashi, since she created the whole thing. Don't forget to buy the manga and support anime in your area.

Author tries to save his ass: So yeah, this thing. After 20 hit, a whole bunch of crap went down and 21 got off the ground, but I got a new computer and that hard drive was festered to the gills with viruses (long story, don't ask. It's the monkey's fault anyways.), so that version never got done. And since I lost a third of the way done chapter, my creative process crapped itself and died. I had just started to think really good and hard when my Windows BsoD'd. So now on Linux, this version of the 21st chapter is finally under way. And who knows, maybe I'll be done with this thing before the world ends.

First I Giveth

Chapter 21 It's Not Fair When You Don't Try

by Marik Kurakashi

"So, this is what dying feels like," Ukyo muttered, face down in an alleyway not far from where she left Ranma to scream in his helplessness as she slowly got away. She'd have been satisfied and scolding herself for being so melodramatic about things, but she hurt too much to care about that right now. All she wanted to do was lie down and let everything go.

"There you are," an intruding, unwanted but sorely missed voice intruded into Ukyo's attempt to fade away from this plane. The injured chef decided to ignore her, in the hopes she'd go away. Pity that then, when her tormentor refused to let her go to her final bliss. "Can't you see what your revenge has done to you? Is this how it's supposed to end? You lying in a broken heap as those Saotome bastards coast back to their lives of lies and thievery?"

"Just let me die already, I failed." Ukyo whimpered, eyes beginning to well with tears as she found herself unable to raise her head to look the other girl in the face and stare her down. "I took him head on and it didn't even matter. I barely hurt him and here I am, broken and battered. I can't go like this... Please, just let me go."

"Don't," Kaede started, and had to stop herself as her voice nearly shattered at the despair in the voice of the girl she felt so strongly for. "Don't you dare talk like that! You're still alive, you're still here, and you can come back from this. You'll be even stronger than before, and you'll crush him next time."

"Next time huh?" Ukyo laughed, tears making their way down her face despite her commands for them to stop. "You honestly think that next time will be different? That I won't end up like this again?"

"What I think doesn't matter." Kaede said, closing the distance between them and coming over to crouch by the fallen girl's head. "Because I believe in you, the _real_ you, the one that doesn't believe in all the bullshit you put up with to make it through the day without dissolving into tears as soon as you realize you're still alive."

"How?" Ukyo asked, confused as to what she could possibly have done to garner that level of faith in someone else, someone she'd just as soon throw away than admit to knowing.

"Because I love you." Kaede said, not caring about the way Ukyo jolted at being reminded of that. Nor did she care that her voice was thick with a sick degree of despair. "I can, nor will, never have you, but I'll love you until the day I die. So I'll believe in you and hope you'll find the day you'll be able to smile for real and say, 'I'm happy'. Then I'll be able to say my beloved is happy and I can move on. So until that day comes, I will stand here and support you if you should fall. I'll pick you up when you get knocked down, and I'll do it all over and over no matter what, because I love you." She finally wound down and stopped, thankful for the ground holding Ukyo's head down, so that the Kuonji girl could not see the tears in her eyes.

"I.." Ukyo started lamely, unable to think of what else to say, somewhat vulnerable after the fight, the draining revelations of said battle, and her current injuries. "I'm sorry. I don't have the right to say that to you. To give up when you'd give me the very heart from your chest to keep me alive." She was there, waiting for the day she could move on. Waiting for the day she could allow her heart to heal and forget about this unrequited love that refused to let her go.

"N-no, it's okay." Kaede said, cheeks pink with embarrassed joy. "After everything you've been through, I can't be too mad you'd want to give up." Deciding that they'd dallied enough and didn't want that Saotome clod finding Ukyo, she scooped the battered girl up into her arms with surprising ease.

"Whoa, you don't look it but you're deceptively strong." Ukyo commented, more to ignore the sudden rush of agony that threatened to knock her out cold.

"You could say I am fairly strong," Kaede joked back, trying to ignore an inconvenient feeling of unwarranted giddiness. Making sure she had a firm grip, she made her way back to Ucchan's, with first aid in relative safety on her mind.

'You may not believe me,' Ukyo thought as she drifted away from the waking world, 'but I really am sorry. The me of today doesn't deserve love, yours or anyone else's...'

"Ranma, are you alright!" Nabiki yelled, as the paramedics escorted him down from the roof, thankfully not on a stretcher.

"I'm fine," he mumbled, anger coursing through his body

"Nabiki, did they- RANMA!" Akane yelled, coming over to inspect the pigtailed boy.

"Don't worry Ranma, I'll find out all I can on this Ukyo guy." Nabiki said, nodding her head.

"Guy?" Ranma asked, before he remembered. "Uh, actually, Ukyo's not a guy... Ukyo's a girl."

"A... girl?" both sisters chorused, realizing that the great Saotome Ranma just got taken to the limit by a girl.

"It's a bit complicated," Ranma said, in a tone that said not here, not now. "Can I go now? I don't need to go to the hospital, I'm strangely doing okay even after the explosion."

"Well, we'd insist, but since you're a patient of Doc Tofu regularly, he can check you out and file the paperwork." the lead paramedic said as they all turned and left. He didn't seem hurt and they hated paperwork.

"Nice guy, used to dealing with crazy martial arts death matches apparently." Ranma said, solely to get the talking back under way with the two sisters. "Lucky for me, I've had years of getting the crap beat out of me by Pops to fall back on. I probably won't even feel this tomorrow."

"That's... nice." Akane said, in a tone that said she was being polite to respond in a civil manner and not flip out with a distressed mama hen on him.

"Well, you can walk and everything else works, so we're good." Nabiki said, in a tone of voice that said she didn't feel like chewing him out about it, but was willing to let him have it if he asked for it.

"Uh, let's just go home for now, we can talk there." Ranma said, in a tone of voice that said he was being polite not to just run the hell away and avoid this topic forever.

Kaede made her way into the Ucchan's, thankful she had found a spare key somewhere, and laid the owner of said establishment out on the counter. Any lewd thoughts she could have about Ukyo laying there asleep in a tattered top were pushed aside as she went in search of a first aid kit. Swiftly locating it, the young nurse made her way back to her patient, not really looking forward to what was to come.

It seems a little bit of luck was with the battered girl, as most of the injuries sustained were superficial and would be gone in a few days. She had not suffered any burns, as Kaede made note of as she stripped off the ragged clothing that had barely preserved the other girl's modesty. Not stopping to stare at the now nude girl, as she was too busy gagging at the bruise forming in the center of Ukyo's chest.

Said bruise formed itself in a very unappealing manner, the discoloration marring an otherwise perfect complexion.

"That idiot," Kaede swore softly, cataloging the possible injuries such a bruise could be a portent of. "He could have killed her with that careless punch." Well, maybe not but she wasn't in the mood to think clearly about this.

Ukyo somehow managed not to stir during this, a testament to her exhaustion and piled up injuries. She probably wouldn't be fighting again anytime soon, it would be even more luck if she didn't have a cracked rib or two. It seemed revenge would have to wait, though whether that was good or bad was up for debate.

Deciding that her patient could bathe later, Kaede gathered up the nude girl and took her to her bedroom. Pausing to briefly fight down the inevitable pangs of longing, she somehow managed to decently dress the injured girl without jostling any of her injuries enough to awaken her. Quickly depositing the girl on the bed and covering her, Kaede then made tracks out of there before she did something she'd regret.

Feeling a little hungry and needing to get out of here for a little bit to clear her head, the young nurse exited out into the ward at large, in search of something.

Har Karu was in hell. There was no getting around the fact that she'd been thoroughly miserable since Elder Cologne had decided to make her live a waking nightmare. To say nothing of having to swallow her pride and work with that lazy airhead Shampoo.

It was enough to drive you mad, or at least that's what she thought about the subject anyways. Getting humiliated at every turn, battered and even burned, there wasn't any real reason for her not to think this. The latest indignation of being forced to dress like Shampoo, her own clothing mysteriously vanishing into the ether only served as a reminder that she was forced to serve under a harsh mistress.

Was it any wonder she had betrayed Cologne for another elder, one who didn't treat her existence as a motive for derision?

But that was small in comparison to being paraded around like a whore to bilk these weak willed outsiders out of their worthless money. Sure, it did have the benefit of allowing her to avoid being lectured by the old crone, but that was it. It was all downhill from there, and here comes the boulder to crush you now.

"Oh, it stupid Har." Shampoo said as she brushed past her fellow Amazon with open disgust. Having to share clothes with her because the klutz had somehow lost hers seemed to put her off.

"Oh, it stupid Shampoo." Har bit back, wanting to smash one of the ramen bowls over the other girl's head.

There was an audible pause as the air stiffened as the two glared at each other. The sound of Cologne's walking stick hitting the floor by the jarred them from their brief staredown, and they scrambled to get back to work. The old woman sighed, though not from any true exasperation, it just felt right.

Meanwhile, Kaede made her way into the restaurant, finding that it was just close enough to the Ucchan's to allow her to relax while she ate. It had a lively atmosphere, filled with people of all ages, though young high school males seemed to dominate the scene. Not that she cared, but she was being cautious not to run into that Ranma character or those sisters.

Even if the younger one was a cutie.

"Nihao!" a perky voice greeted her almost the instant she sat down. "Welcome to Nekohaten!"

"Ah, thanks." Kaede said, trying not to stare at the girl's lavender hair. China was a lot freakier than she initially thought, which didn't seem to be a bad thing. She had great legs too, probably why her dress did its best to cover up the really naughty bits but left her legs so exposed. "Uh, menu?" She must not stare at the foreigner, she must not stare at the foreigner...

"Sure, be back for order." Shampoo said, handing off a menu to the other girl, bouncing away in more ways than one.

"Whew, if she isn't gorgeous." Kaede said, fanning herself with the menu briefly in jest. Then hunger demanded she open the thing and get to finding something to eat. Something edible, she clarified.

"Feh," Har muttered to herself as she cleaned a table. "What a way for a warrior to spend her formative years, cleaning tables and offering herself up like a whore." The comment seemed to be directed at both herself and Shampoo, whom wasn't here to be offended at both being called a whore and being lumped in together with her hated foe.

'Sounds like this isn't the big ball of fun it seems from the outside,' Kaede thought, using the menu to covertly study the waitress cleaning the table next to her. There was something to it, but nothing quite sprang to mind.

"You ready order?" Shampoo asked, stopping by to check on Kaede as was expected of her.

"Pork ramen with extra spring onions," Kaede said, more because it was the first thing that sprang to mind. And also because the other waitress looked ready to murder the one serving her.

"Food be ready shortly," Shampoo assured her, having taken down the order.

"Just what is her deal?" Kaede asked, eyes flickering towards Har briefly.

"Stupid Har jealous of Shampoo," Shampoo said, poking a finger into her ample chest region at Shampoo. "Har thinks Shampoo lazy, but it Har who really lazy. Outside that, don't know, don't care."

"Uh, sorry I asked." Kaede said, sinking into her chair. 'Looks like they had a falling out over something.' The burning gaze that bore after the back of Shampoo from Har spoke volumes about something, but she could tell that something wasn't anything of the romantic sense. 'Maybe that's the problem.'

"There she goes again, using other people to say what she doesn't have the guts to say to me face to face." Har grumbled, not caring she was taking an awfully long time to clean that table. It was slow, and Shampoo could handle herself.

Kaede continued to observe the other girl, trying to figure out the reason for all this bad blood. Not like she had that much to do at the moment, and it seemed to be amusing, to her anyways. These poor kids, sitting around like these mere scratches were the deepest cuts imaginable.

Back with Ranma and the sisters Tendo, they were still trying to broach the subject of the sudden appearance of Ukyo Kuonji and the reasons for the fight that just took place. He wasn't saying anything because he didn't want to hear about how a girl 'kicked' his ass. They weren't saying anything because they were having trouble coming up with something that didn't go back to the fight.

So they trundled onward, and everything was cool for a while. Maybe there wasn't anything to be said in the immediate aftermath, who knows? If something was truly important, someone would have stepped to the plate and said it, right?

...Right?

Ah, the old uncomfortable silence, how annoying it was, nearly driving the three to distraction. Sure, they didn't _want_ to talk, but it was better than staring at the eight hundred pound gorilla sitting at the dinner table eating your food. Like it or not, someone was going to speak, if for no other reason than to get rid of this annoying tension.

. . .

Oh come on!

. . .

You're kidding me here.

. . .

Okay, you're not funny anymore.

. . .

Knock it off...

. . .

Damn it, stop being lazy and write the dialog already!

"So," Ranma said as a way to break the tension. "How was your day?" This was at Nabiki, since he was with Akane in class most of the day, so he had no reason to ask her. Obviously.

"Fine, all things considering." Nabiki answered at length, studying Ranma out of the corner of her eye for a long second before continuing. "How was yours?"

"You know, the usual boring lectures by self-important assholes who like the sound of their own voice too much." Ranma said, shaking his head. "I get so bored I almost start missing Pops' lectures. At least when I start to get bored with them, I can hit him without fear of punishment."

"If you tried more, you'd find that they're not that bad." Akane said, a bit rankled at the idea that staying awake in class was wrong.

"And yet I'm passing all my classes enough to avoid being held after for special study sessions." Ranma retorted, rolling his eyes. "I even did better than you on the last three math quizzes _ and _I got a better score on that English essay last Friday. And I'm terrible with English."

"Hmph." Akane had no good reply that wouldn't just be a childish excuse, so she conceded this fight for now.

"I don't suppose we need to ask Ms. Future Class President how she's fairing with her scores." Ranma jokingly said, knowing that Nabiki hated the idea of being involved in that hive of stupidity that was student politics.

"Of course not," Nabiki said in a preening tone, knowing it always got under Akane's skin that she couldn't compete with her older sister in academics. She let the class prez quip go by, he deserved a bone or two if he was going to open up to them about things after all. "I'll have the top score in school before the end of term."

"For all that's good for," Ranma remarked, his tone a teasing one of mock disapproval. "I bet that'd make great conversation fodder." He added a roll of the eyes for effect.

"Aren't you cheeky today?" Nabiki asked, raising an eyebrow at his joking attitude.

"I've never been one to sulk long if I could help it," Ranma said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm still mad about everything with Pops because he never gives me a chance to get over it."

"So we've seen." Akane said, before noticing they were almost home. "Let's save the talk about you know what for later okay? I don't feel like arguing about stuff today."

"Ditto." Nabiki said, ducking into the house before the other two.

Ranma said nothing but gave Akane an appreciative glance before entering the house. It wasn't much, and really was a far cry from what Akane felt she deserved, but it was... nice.

And sometimes, nice was good.

Returning to the Nekohaten, Kaede was just now settling down to her noodles. Broth smelled good, though not as good as the brewing catfight in front of her. Food was always good, but everyday people acting out everyday drama had a very cathartic feel to it.

The pair glared death at each other as they worked the floor, Kaede tucking into the provided sustenance with practiced manners. Mm, not too salty, but not too unseasoned. She decided she like this place, even if it was direct competition to Ukyo.

Which was a major strike, very cute waitresses aside.

Very cute but troubled waitresses that is, as the duo were still looking to throw down at the slightest provocation. Hnn, their boss must be really awesome to keep them in line and not murdering the crap out of each other. Tea was required to wash a particularly under chewed piece of pork, which solved a potential problem without much fuss.

Slowing down to avoid choking to death, Kaede began to formulate something in her head. Two girls like these should be enjoying life, not looking to end it with such naked rage. It was a testament that she kept her mind clean at the word naked, but one that was rather short.

Not that she was particularly perverted, just easily distracted at idle times.

"Man, today sure sucks." Har muttered to herself, stopping close to Kaede's table to pop her back. Days like these were hell on her spine, not to mention her limited patience.

"How sad," Kaede said, just loud enough for Har to hear her and understand that the customer was speaking to her.

"What'd you just say?" Har snapped, not wanting any lip from any of these damn outsiders.

"Just commenting on how sad it is that someone as beautiful as you would be so unhappy with her lot in life." Kaede said, cleanly, clearly, precisely. As she had done since she first formed sentences, as she would do for time immemorial.

"And just what's it to you?" Har said, eye twitching at the beautiful comment. The nerve of this bitch, honestly.

"Nothing, nothing at all. I'm just someone who hates seeing people who don't deserve to be unhappy upset is all." Kaede spoke in a reserved manner, as if addressing someone of a higher station than her. "How sad indeed that you can't even take a compliment without open hostility."

"...Who are you to say that to me?" Har sputtered out after a long pause. This wasn't how this goes! Outsiders were cruel and stupid, they hated the Amazons for their superiority! What the hell was happening here!

"No one. No one important at all," Kaede said, gliding up from her seat as if she was an angel in flight. Har's heart failed to not catch in her throat as the other girl come over to stand in front of her. "I know a girl just like you, heart all on her sleeve and unable to accept that she too deserves kindness. Deserves happiness and love, praise and peace all the same. Look at you, so starved for acceptance that you can't even take someone not speaking down to you as if you don't deserve to even exists."

"I-I-I...." Words failed Har, as did her warrior's training as she started to cry for some reason that escaped her. She stepped back, failing to present a threatening postures as she looked ready to bolt.

"Believe me," Kaede said, a gentle smile coming to her lips with a bewitching twitch. "I know what it feels like, to be so desperate for acknowledgment, to crave that acceptance with every fiber of my being. To look at everyone you want to look at you with respect, with admiration and more. I know what it's like to be ignored, used and stepped on by those who mean so much to you. I know."

Unable to formulate a response, Har turned and fled from this stranger who could read her so easily. Away from this unbelievable feeling that threatened to crumple her to her knees. That dared to bring tears to this fierce and deadly warrior's eyes.

"W-what you say to her?" Shampoo asked, eyes wide as her hated foe fled in tears.

"The truth, as she saw it anyways." Kaede said absently, raising a hand to her chin. "The worst thing you can say to someone who thinks that no one feels the same as they do, is to tell them that they're not alone. It's not something they usually leave defenses up for." She sounded oddly please with herself.

"If say so." Shampoo said, not sure if she liked Har running off and leaving her to work alone.

And thus, time marched on, the further events of this day not important enough to document down. Now the morrow, class was in session at the Tendo dojo and today was an inauspicious day, as Nabiki and Akane were helping out at their father's behest. Akane did her best not to shoot dirty looks at her sister for being in close proximity to Ranma while she warmed up with him for a spar.

The middle Tendo was to fight, in the loosest sense of the word, the top student of the new class to ascertain his upward growth. While she wasn't highly skilled or even that strong of a striker, she was good at exposing mental weakness in her opponents. She couldn't hit as hard as Akane and she didn't possess whatever freakish gifts Kasumi had been granted, but she could think relatively quickly on her feet when it called for it.

Well, as long as money wasn't involved, but then we're hitting below the belt there.

"Fighters to your positions," Soun commanded, voice rolling of the walls with rich inflection. He loved that vocal trick he picked up from that carny a few years back, it never failed to make people sit up straighter.

"My, my, it has been a while for me." Nabiki said, taking an orthodox horse stance and smiling at her opponent. "Go easy on me, Take-kun."

"Yeah, sure." Take said, meaning absolutely none of that. She was Sensei's daughter after all, so she had to have some high level tricks he could copy from her. His gi was loose on his lanky frame, the color faded either from time or just a lack of care.

"Ready? BEGIN!" Soun said, waving his hand in the traditional 'get to fighting you idiots' motion.

Nabiki came forward easily, gliding along with cat like ease, while Take decided to allow her to make the first move. Her left hand snapped out in a lazy, and rather sloppy to be frank, jab, which was summarily dodged with minimal effort. Another came, swifter but just as sloppy and it failed to make contact.

Take would be worried about taking the pace or worrying about the girl getting a rhythm going, but this wasn't boxing and she didn't have a good punch anyways. Point of fact, he thought her jabs sucked as he lazily bobbed and weaved around the amateurish and inept looking onslaught. He was getting bored, as his movements slowed down considerably in an effort to piss her off.

He failed spectacularly, which made him a bit huffy under the collar.

When a cross snaked out of the blue, he nearly squealed like a frightened piggy, but he had been fighting for a good number of years. One lucky punch while he wasn't paying attention wasn't enough to rattle him. Deciding he'd had enough, he threw a hook, exaggerated and slow in an effort to further mock the girl in front of him.

Failure greeted him again, in a familiar and an easy manner, as though it was trying to tell him to be used to it. He didn't let it get to him, he had purposely made that punch suck so she'd dodge it and feel a fleeting thrill before he brought the hammer down. He caught her cocking back her left and lazily slid away, as he had down to this point of the spar.

He was completely floored when he felt her knuckles gently kissing his lips, the hook he had dismissed offhand stopping just shy of knocking him on his ass.

"I'm sorry, Take-kun." Nabiki said, pulling her hand back as she smirked at him in the most condescending matter. "I had thought you were advanced enough to look past the fight as your eyes see it and use your brain instead. I had thought you capable to see the load of bullshit I fed you from the beginning of the match, but I overestimated you. I apologize, being your sempai in this school should mean I take better care of you, so you don't run out and get your face stamped on by some yankee punk."

"Um, that's okay," Take said, sagging as he realized the spar was pretty much over.

"Now, being the kind thoughtful sempai that I am," she continued, steamrolling over his attempt to be spared the impending lecture. "I will now tell you exactly what you did wrong so you can grow as a better martial artist. You never thought to actually take the initiative, which isn't bad but you didn't look to counter. Nor did you look to exploit the openings presented to you, and instead decided to throw a pathetic hook in an attempt to show off for the class and maybe win yourself a couple dates. You dismissed my left since you thought that I couldn't even throw the most basic of punches with any skill, and what did that get you? A punch you can't see coming is the one you'll always be beat by. I may not have the best hit power in my punches, but imagine someone who does doing that to you. And not stopping."

The crowd watching the scene would later swear they saw the characters for "total defeat" crush Take through the floor.

"Hey Nabiki, nice left." Ranma said as greeting as she came off the mats for a quick break. "I'd have punched his lights out if it was me in there."

"Ah, but then he might not have learned the why behind his defeat. If he just chalked it up to superior skill on his opponent's part, he wouldn't have learned anything." Nabiki replied, using an old response from Kasumi back when they spared together. Those were horrible times, at least in Nabiki's opinion.

"You say so," Ranma answered, leaning against the wall, ignoring the feeling of EYES on him. He would be mad about it, but he was making it up to her by agreeing to a "date" that evening. Not that he understood why spending time with anyone not Akane was suddenly a giant crime.

For once, Akane wasn't glaring death at Ranma for spending time with Nabiki. This time was a pure accident, as he happened to be blocking Akane's path to stare HATE at her sister, infernal interfering merc that she was. There was something about that left hook that woke up a well of bad feelings that threatened to ruin her day.

It was stupid, completely and utterly balls out stupid of her to get this mad over everything Nabiki did. But today, today felt like it was an old feeling of anger and rage, barely suppressed and held in check by her waning good mod. That very black and hateful side of her whispered very nasty things about that left, as if she really really hated that punch.

The time worn image of a young girl on her backside, staring up at her slightly older sister in shock flashed unpleasantly in her mind.

"So yeah," Ranma said, sitting with Akane, Nabiki, and a few of the students who stayed after for his grappling class. "Grappling is more than throwing and joint locks guys. For starters, good grapplers can control the fight with their superior ability to move your ass where they want to kick it next." He demonstrated this on his father, who despite being superior in grappling experience was a failure at the technique of it all. "Beyond judo and jui-jitsu, there's wrestling of all stripes, be it sumo or greco-roman. Take them down, keep them down, and then beat them down." He took Genma down with a quick double leg shoot takedown, ending up in the guard position. Powering through his father's faked attempt to keep him from posturing up, Ranma thew a couple of light punches to demonstrate the link between grappling and striking.

"Grappling is just another thought process in kicking ass, namely someone else's." Nabiki added helpfully, using a line Ranma came up with, which sounded kinda silly. But the class bought it for whatever it was worth and Nabiki didn't dwell on it.

"Now it actual grappling tournaments, what I did is against the rules." Ranma said, keeping posture as he lectured them all. "But this class, and all these classes, are about applying the art to situations where there are no rules. Where there are no holds barred, thus why it's "indiscriminate grappling". My father and I, as well as the Tendos, believe in protecting yourself through any means necessary, checked only by yourself. Cheap shots should be kept to fighting for your life or someone else, but don't hesitate to pull that trigger if you need to save a life."

"Just make sure to learn them, or else you'll be caught by them all the time." Genma slipped in, deciding to help Ranma for once.

"Quite right." Ranma agreed, before clapping his hands once. "Now let's talk combat theory. That is, how you fight and why. What you do and focus on doing in every fight. The Tendo branch of martial arts adhere to the principle of "The World", that is, embodying the elements you see around you in a central system of harmony. Under this philosophy, I am "the Wind". I blow where I please, and when I truly wish it, am unhittable. I don't shy from submissions or strikes should you wish to engage me, but I warn you, I have been becoming "the Wind" for my entire life. You will not, and may never, reach my level of harmony in this arena. But we all have our elements and schools of thought. Finding your own is a part of these classes and the point of these lectures."

"Well said, son." Genma said, voice thick with pride, "now, let's talk choke holds..."

"Man, was that a pain." Ranma said, stretching his shoulders idly.

"I don't know, you seemed to be enjoying stretching your dad like that." Nabiki said, innocently scratching her chin in a faux showing of deep thinking.

"Tell me about it," Akane added in, ramming her way into the conversation before the two could go off by themselves. "I didn't even know what a Peruvian Necktie was, but you liked applying it."

"Bah, that was flash to send them home happy," Ranma said, not quite preening over their comments. "Besides, Pops won't let me D'Arce choke him anymore."

"D'what now?" Nabiki asked, clearly confused by her lack of know what the hell that was.

"Just another choke I know." Ranma said, failing to explain what a D'Arce choke was beyond its function.

"We got some time, did you want to talk about anything?" Akane cut it, not caring to see an argument blossom over some stupid hold.

"I'm sure you two are wondering about the fight with Ukyo right?" Ranma queried, figuring that'd be the only thing they'd really be interested in discussing.

"Now that you mention it, yes." Nabiki said, very serious all of a sudden. Ranma didn't have the heart to mention that furrowing her brow like that would lead to early wrinkles. Ah, the wonders of Jusenkyo curses...

"If you're willing to talk about it, that is." Akane added, frowning at Nabiki for no real reason other than to be confrontational.

"I wouldn't bring it up if I wasn't," Ranma said, trying to cut off any impending fight that might break out at any moment.

"So what happened to "The Wind" ?" Akane asked, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

"If I was going to get anything out of her, I had to be willing to fight down at her level and allow her a few hits." Ranma said, a canned answer coming easily to his lips. "I can take a good hit, so a few blows aren't anything to make me worry."

"But the skating match..." Akane retorted, deciding she didn't like his bragging attitude.

"I was back to normal within a couple hours." Ranma said, shrugging. "And really, how many people use the "Goodbye Whirl" on dry land? If that's the measure of what it takes to knock me out, I guess anyone else is screwed."

"Getting back to Ukyo," Nabiki said, elbowing Akane in the ribs to tell her to knock that shit off. "I want to know why she wanted to fight you in the first place."

"It was both mine, and my father's, fault." Ranma said, head casting downward. "When we were kids, we used to spar all the time under the pretext of me stealing an okonomiyaki from their cart and her trying to stop me. Unbeknown to me, she had apparently decided she liked me enough that she wanted to marry me."

"...you're shitting me." Nabiki said, just beating Akane to the exclamation.

"We were six, so who knows what went through her mind then. Her pop had talked to mine, and bribed him with their cart to accept a betrothal between her and me. Under the pretext of letting me choose, the old man asked me if I liked okonomiyaki or Ukyo better." Ranma paused, steeling himself for revealing a particularly bad move on his part. "Thinking Ukyo a boy, since I hadn't seen any girls but my mom before, I chose the food. Pop responded by taking the cart and leaving her behind. I didn't help by waving goodbye from atop the cart, though in my defense, I was only six."

"I can see why she'd hate you, at least if you were still kids and the wound fresh." Nabiki mused, turning over this new morsel on Ranma's past in her head. "But after ten years, the torch should have dimmed a bit."

"Knowing her pops, he probably hasn't let her forget it since we left." Ranma said, shrugging a bit. He didn't care anymore, Ukyo was probably lying cold and broken in a gutter somewhere, his capacity to care for his childhood friend blown away in the explosion she escaped in.

"It's possible," Akane said, getting up and stretching. "I need to get ready for our date." And like that, she was gone.

"The big date huh?" Nabiki asked, her tone neutral and not at all worried. "To think, it was only a few days ago that it was made."

"It's nothing too big. I mean, I might as well be nice to her for a change right?" Ranma said, being facetious as he tried not to think of how much of a dick he had been.

"Garbage in, garbage out." Nabiki wasn't trying to sabotage Akane, but the conversation didn't need to head in to self depreciation. "She gave you flak, you gave it back. All things else being equal, one of you should break that particular cycle."

"Yeah, I know. But still, it'd be nice if we can act like normal people for once?" Ranma muttered, shaking his head. "It's hard trying to keep my stride, and not hold a grudge against the people who've stepped on me along the way."

"Relax Ranma-kun, if you held grudges, you would have buried your father in a shallow grave somewhere a long time ago." Nabiki said, patting his shoulder. "Or worse, become like Ryoga."

"Gah, don't threaten me like that!" Ranma gasped in mock exasperation. "Last thing I need is to get lost all the time and blame someone for my problems." He stood and helped Nabiki to her feet.

"Sorry," she whispered, before wrapping her arms around him. "Regardless of what happens, we'll still be friends right?"

"Sure." He agreed, returning the hug gently. For a long moment, they held onto one another, before it passed and he was gone. Nabiki looked down at her arms and sighed, the type of sigh someone looking to be just friends shouldn't have been sighing.

Once more, time past, and Nabiki found herself reading at the dinner table alone. By now, Ranma and Akane were at the movies, enjoying themselves no doubt. It was this thought that drove her out of the solitude of her room and into the dining room to get some air.

Heh, she shouldn't worry too much about it anyways. With both of them totally lacking any social grace, they'd be ready to kill each other in the figurative sense by night's end. Although, you could have said that about their engagement so far as well, couldn't you?

Boy, she sure was depressing herself now eh?

Lucky for her, okay considering what was coming, not really... but anyways, a small man chose that moment to kick in the front door. Nabiki, to her credit, was on her feet and into the living room before she even realized why she moved. Coming to a stop before the diminutive interloper, she sized him up for a brief second, feeling no danger from him.

"Who the hell are you?" she said, tone completely dismissive as she glared down the length of her nose at him.

"You don't remember me Nabiki-chan? Grandpa Happosai is crushed!" The old man wailed, before lunging towards her, only to be intercepted by Kasumi of all people, her eyes alight as she appeared from seemingly nowhere.

"Oneechan?" Nabiki murmured, looking at her elder sibling who held the old man calling himself Happosai in the palm of her hand.

"Happosai." Kasumi spat the name as a venomous epithet as she shoved him back at the door.

"K-Kasumi-chan!" Happosai cried, eyes filling with fake tears.

"Just get out." Kasumi said, slipping into serious mode as she glowered at the man.

"I don't see Akane-chan anywhere anyways." he grumbled, kicking a broken piece of wood before turning on heel and running away. "Wait for me my Akane-chan!"

"Tell me that didn't happen and I fell asleep at the table." Nabiki said, tone faint as Kasumi turned towards her with conviction in her eyes.

"Nabiki-chan, that man is a dangerous pervert. If he touches you inappropriately, tell me and I'll kill him." Kasumi said, taking her sister's hands and grasping them tightly. "Excuse me, I must pray to Mother for guidance." The eldest sister took her leave, the middle sister staring at the mess that the door was in.

"Oh man, don't tell me I have to clean this up."

As movies went, Ranma allowed there could be worse, being the magnanimous fellow he was. However, that didn't stop it from being mercilessly boring or cruelly exploitive of its cast of characters, the girls of which must have had to share a wardrobe. Not to mention their horrible use of martial arts as a catch all excuse for one side shit kicking the other.

In every sense, it had managed to offend Ranma in some way. Maybe it was the wire fu, maybe it was the way it had a snail's pace and a non-existent plot that solved nothing. Not even the climax was satisfying and the denouement of the film was spent on a ridiculous sequel hook.

Oh and Akane wouldn't stop touching him, which crept him out a whole bunch.

"Girls and boys do things like that doing movies," she had the gall to chastise him in the lobby. "Honestly, what kind of boy are you?"

"And you say I lack feminine modesty." he muttered under his breath as she turned on her heel and spun. He wanted to dump his cola on him and let her get caught snuggling up to a buxom red-head, but he was trying to be nice, damn it all.

Which brought us to this silly faux-French restaurant that served "French" food, signifying that it was really French ideology to Japanese cuisine. Their waiters were dressed in a manner that would offend the first true Frenchmen who gazed upon them. To say nothing of the maids, dressed like they were in a softcore porno.

Ranma gagged at the sight of the place and suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore. It smelled like hemorrhoids wrapped in bacon, and the sight looked like it had gotten lost on its way to Akihabara and grew roots. It had terrible stamped all over it, and yet here they were, heading right for it.

He whimpered, more for effect than anything, as Akane marched in like she was going to kill everything in it.

"I heard good things about this place," Akane said without a sense of irony in her voice, only thinking about how French food was the food of love or some romanticist bullshit like that.

"From who, the owner?" Ranma retorted, recalling Hiroshi and Daisuke briefly trashing the place in a passing conversation three days ago. Hiroshi's date had crashed and burned hardcore, and when the date starved girls of Furinkan high hated the place enough to break up on the first date with a guy, it was seriously messed up yo.

"No, just some friends at school." she said, refusing to name names so he or Nabiki couldn't interrogate them later. No one at school had recommended this place, she just felt like being different.

Their waiter came up and said something in French, which neither one understood. A long second passed before he repeated himself, in French. Before Ranma could get violent, a surly Japanese man replaced him.

"Yeah yeah, what's your order?" the waiter said, looking like death warmed over.

Neither could read the French menus, and lack of translation, they were forced to simply point at the items they wanted. The man grunted and shuffled away, looking almost hunched over.

"I hate this place." Ranma said quietly, feeling miserable. French speaking waiters in Japan? Menus written in French with no translation? What the hell man?

"At least wait for the food." Akane admonished, her heart having a meeting with her gut as her spirits sank like a leaky boat.

The food didn't help, it was a fancy version of stuff they could get at a food cart for three times the prize and half the excess crap. It didn't smell that great and it was failed to be dissatisfying to the eye. The taste, however, was surprisingly decent, but that was sort of like discovering a hidden fetish for being pooped on, you might like it, but someone still shit on you.

"This is the worst." Ranma had his head against the table, waiting to wake up screaming in bed, having dreamed of the entire thing.

"Don't say that," Akane said, pouting. "Why can't you be nice about it?"

"Horrible food, horrendous atmosphere, and service in another language. I can't think of anything nice and I'm not going to be quiet about it." Ranma snapped back, wishing she'd stop trying to defend her poor choices in movie and meal. He was trying not to lash out at her for it.

"I'm trying here, but I thought a restaurant like this would have been better than sitting at a noodle cart somewhere surrounded by drunks." Akane thundered on, worsening Ranma's mood even more.

"Just stop already," he pleaded, trying not to imagine what possessed them to order dessert and not run screaming into the night.

"Why don't you try anymore Ranma? What happened to us, to that spark we had that day we met?" she begged, sounding desperate.

Before he could lodge his entire leg in his mouth, a loud crash resounded around the place as Happosai barged in to Ranma's peaceful world. The old pervert looked Ranma in the eye for a long second, before the boy shot to his feet, hands in the air.

"Screw this shit, I'm out of here." And like the wind he claimed to be, Ranma blew out of Akane's life for the time being. She got up and looked around for even a hint of where he had gone, but he had vanished as if he never were there. Woodenly, with a great deal of fury, she turned to the intruder who ruined everything.

"A-Akane-chan?" he squeaked, before she surged for his throat, tears in her eyes.

"You! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" she shrieked, unfairly blaming him for the evening's failure to enchant her wayward fiancé.

The sounds of destruction and sorrow mingled well into the unforgiving night...

End Chapter 21

Teaser for Chapter 22 "A Day Without Ranma"

A ten year old girl, dressed in a yellow gi, her growing hair done in a ponytail, stood opposite her eleven year old sister. Said sister was decked out in a white gi, hair cropped short into a weird helmet shape as she took a confident stance. Over the years they stood like this, opposing one another in a no grappling sparring match.

For Akane, the memories weren't very happy. With her unnatural strength, she wasn't allowed to use it to smother her weaker sister, so as to encourage her to continue advancing in the art. That allowed her more shifty and shiftless sibling to get away with all sorts of dishonest fighting, which to her young mind was what she called Nabiki's use of feints and fakes instead of headlong assaults.

Despite her strength and aptitude for the art, Akane was entirely too honest to be robbed of her greatest weapon against Nabiki.

So there they stood, as they had for four years running, under the watchful eyes of their father and sister. Akane had been born with blessings of the Fire and the Earth, giving her incredible tenacity and amazing strength that belied her size. Nabiki had been gifted in Wood and Water, showing in her shifty style and scheming personality.

However, woe for the sister, that the eldest Kasumi had been the most blessed of all. She was born at the peek of the Tendo school's ideology, she was the World. Swift as the wind, silent as the forest, strong as the river, deadly as the fire and as indomitable as a mountain, she was a genius.

Sadly, such genius made her a chore to spar with, since neither could reach her lofty standards.

That isn't to say, that neither tried, it's just that they were over matched by Kasumi's natural skill. Akane couldn't grappled her, Nabiki couldn't bullshit her, and so Kasumi walked over the both of them. This sparring match was to determine who was second best behind Kasumi, as it had been since they had started, running forever to touch the specter for a fleeting moment.

Before long, the signal was given, and they came forward once more.

Author note: It... it's alive! I don't believe it. See you next chapter, currently scheduled for 2012. Sorry.


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